The Afters
by Talitha Koum
Summary: Sequel to That's Why. Unfinished indefinitely.
1. First Impressions Are Everything

_Dedicated to the Great Romance. _

_A/N: Hi, everyone! It's me again. Talitha Koum. I wasn't gone for very long, huh? I told you I wouldn't be. I cannot live without a story to write. So here I am with the first chapter of my first 'sequel'. _

_On that note: Those of you who haven't read __**That's Why**__ don't need to start reading this fic. Because you'll be as confused as all get-out. _

_I'll do my best to live up to TA expectations. More action, more fluff, and more funny. Maybe The Afters will be better than That's Why. Gaspeth!_

_I can't wait. _

_Without further ado, I present to you: The Afters. Enjoy._

_**Disclaimer**__: If Santa grants me my Christmas wish, I __will__ own Kingdom Hearts. (Lol, in my dreams.)_

**First Impressions Are Everything**

Insanity. That was a fitting term. Insanity.

The word 'parents' is enough to haul to most stoic of warriors off their rearend. Even warriors sentenced to their sick beds. Which is _really_ saying something when it comes right down to the nitty-gritty. Especially since said warriors are renowned Bearers of the Keyblade. The _same warriors_ that had, just hours before, brought an end to the evil of the Mastery.

Sora struggled with his sheets. As apt as he was with a sword, for the life of him, he couldn't wrestle himself from the confines of his twin mattress. "Kairi!" he wailed. Like it was her fault he was stuck. "My mom's gonna be here any minute! Do you have _any_ _idea_ what she'll say if she sees me like this? Get me out of here!"

The Seventh Princess of Heart stood undecided. She hovered at the end of Sora's bed, her perfect nails tap-tapping its ivory frame. "I dunno, Sora," she teased. "Can't you manage?" Kairi shot a _how-'bout-them-apples?_ look over her shoulder and to the right.

Her proud/queried expression was directed to none other than Nevaeh Alexander. A newbie to the team of good, yes, but she was as fiery and twisted as any antag. Maybe. Nevaeh smirked. She fingered the end of her bright-white hair, more amused with split-ends than Riku's predicament. (Which was _exactly_ the same as Sora's.) "Morons," she cooed. "Lady Aerith cast a spell on the both of you when you were still unconscious. You won't be hopping out of bed any time soon. You're in no condition."

Riku stopped his fidgeting.

Sora failed all the more.

"You could've _said_ something," the former grunted.

Nevaeh shot Riku her death-glare of death-glares. Still, she smiled a seductive smile. As always. "Mr. Riku," was her purr. "That completely defeats the purpose of keeping secrets, doesn't it?"

Riku drug a heavy hand down his face. "For the last time, you don't _keep_ secrets, you _share_ them." By the time his fingers slid from his eyes to this chin, Nevaeh was upon him, her advance quick and quiet. (Riku didn't expect any less of her, but Nevaeh's skill was ridiculous.) "_What_?"

Nevaeh stayed her confidence until she bent down over his face. Then her attitude changed for the worse. _Frightened_ worse. "You have a father, right?"

Riku blinked. If it were anyone other than Nevaeh, he would have rearranged their teeth without a second thought. "Yes," he answered. "Why?"

Nevaeh ignored Riku. Sort of. She grabbed his shoulders and shook the mess out of him. If Riku hadn't been spelled to his bed, he would have very likely flown over her head. "And your parents are coming here? Now? _Right now_?"

"That's what the King said before he left to fetch them. _Why_?"

A nervous bead of sweat trickled from the top of Nevaeh's temple to the edge of her jaw. "Bye." She made to leave.

Riku grabbed the end of her braid. "OH NO!" he snarled. "If _I_ have to stay, _you_ have to stay!"

"LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT!"

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE!"

Kairi sighed. "Can't they be civil for once?" She spun to regard her patient, knowing that he, at least, would agree with her. He always did. But when she found nothing in Sora's bed (...except for a paper dress...) Kairi shrieked. "SORA!" She rounded on the boy who was busy almost-successfully sneaking out of the infirmary. In his boxers.

Leave it to say, Kairi wasn't impressed. "What are you doing?"

Sora flushed. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He lifted the latch. "I'm gettin' while the gettin's good." Sora cupped his hands around his mouth, meaning to direct his holler toward Riku. "The magic's in the gown! Lose it! Fly or die, Riku! Fly or die!" Sora cheesed a final grin and flung his only exit wide-open.

And there stood Axel.

Sora balked.

"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas," Axel tisked. He blocked the doorway with his long shanks. "You should be in bed." Axel flexed one way, then another. Then another. (If Sora didn't know any better, Axel was more interested in his stance than his blocking the escape route.)

Which was why Sora noticed: "Hey..." He pointed. "Why are you wearing your Organization XIII cloak?"

Axel cocked his eyebrows. "Sexy, eh?"

Sora scratched his cheek. "That's not the word I was looking fo-"

Kairi assaulted Sora's blindside. She pressed her glowing pinky against his nose, which immediately irritated at her touch. Nothing too drastic, like before. But it was enough to sting. "Gottcha."

Sora made a face. It screamed: _Thanks a lot, Axel_. "Yes ma'am." He retreated, shoulders hunched. Unfortunately for Sora, Kairi wasn't satisfied until he was back in bed. So she followed his trek across the shiny linoleum, pinky wielded like a mighty weapon. Sora's pace, of course, doubled. "Yes ma'am." And doubled again. "Yes ma'am, yes ma'am, _yes ma'am_!"

Kairi tucked Sora in. Nice and tight. She patted his spikey head of hair. "Good boy."

Sora growled.

Axel posed.

Riku and Nevaeh grappled.

Insanity.

The pyro kissed his bicep. "Ya know, I like this place. It's got _everything_ I need." He stalked further into the room. His strut was as close to_ peacock_ as it came. "I've got magic fairies at my disposal – _magic fairies_ that dress me _how_ I want and _when_ I want. Not to mention the babes!" Axel was close to tears. "Roxas!" he cried. "Forget Twilight Town! _Here_ is the gold at the end of the rainbow!"

Riku paused his tussle with Nevaeh. He made a quick T with his hands. "Time out." He focused on Axel. "You _do_ know that most of the girls you've met are going home, right? To their own Worlds?" (Riku's fishing did its job. Axel's face fell.) "Their stay's only temporary, remember?"

Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Nevaeh waited for Axel to respond.

"Right." Axel's departure was a quick one. "I'll just have to get their numbers before they leave, then." Axel ticked lady's names off the tips of his fingers. "Let's see. There was Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel..." He was gone before anyone had the decency to correct him.

"Does he know those women are taken?" Nevaeh asked.

Riku scowled. "_Probably_."

(A/N:1)

**ooo**

Nevaeh found herself trapped in a perpetual state of anxiety. She didn't know what to think. What to do. What to say. There was _no_ escaping the inevitable – there was _no_ escaping meeting Riku's parents. Whether she wanted to or not. Nevaeh couldn't live on the same island, perhaps for the rest of her life, never knowing or seeing the two adults who'd raised the boy she...

Nevaeh felt sick to her stomach. She eyed the pair of scissors on the bedside table nearest to Riku. One snip would free her. One, little snip.

The echoes of approaching footsteps reached her ears.

"You're lucky I like you," Nevaeh muttered out of the side of her mouth.

"Hn," Riku agreed.

_Tak-tak-tak..._

Nevaeh gulped.

_Tak-tak-tak..._

The footsteps were louder, now. Closer.

_Tak-tak-tak..._

Nevaeh hid under Riku's bed. And him still clutching the end of her braid.

Riku sighed an unbearable sigh. "Scardy cat," he whispered. Not loud enough for Nevaeh to hear him, though. Heaven forbid. Literally.

No sooner had Riku insulted his melanin-deprived partner did his mother and father came waltzing through the infirmary threshold. Riku's attention failed to waver from their faces – not for Kairi's mom or dad – not for anyone.

Not even for trembling Nevaeh.

His mother was the first to reach him. She was Heaven's height. A plump soul, but irresistibly pretty. Her bobbed head of jet-black hair and her minty eyes of frosted green were all Riku could see for a few moments. Being smothered was never so contrite. He retuned his mother's hugs, almost sorry he'd left without a word. Again...

"Sugar-booger, are you okay?" She felt his forehead before he could answer. "You're flushed!" She fussed and she poked and she cried and she kissed.

"Let him, be Hana."

(A/N:2)

Riku's insides turned to stone. He lifted his eyes to meet those of his father.

It was often said that Riku was the spitting image of his dad. The resemblance was uncanny, sure, except for the details encompassing a buzz-cut, a fondness for cigars, the sheer thickness of certain muscles, and an overwhelming amount of testosterone. (Riku had to concur. While his father was a 'brute' and 'rugged' handsome he was a 'pretty' handsome.)

(A/N:3)

"So this is a palace, eh?" He scrutinized everything and sneered at its animated decor. "Interesting place." He ran his finger along the frame of Riku's bed, checking for dust.

Riku's grip on Nevaeh's hair tightened. Nevaeh 'meep'ed.

"Oh!" Hana fiddled to fret. And fret to fiddle. "Don't be so solemn, Rokku." She fingered her little boy's freshly trimmed hair. "Our sugar-booger's conscious and..." She dabbed the corners of her eyes with the hem of her flowery dress.

(A/N:4)

Rokku chewed on the end of his cigar. There wasn't much left to smoke, but he kept it clenched between his teeth nonetheless. Rokku's silver mustache bristled with pride. "I heard you saved Destiny Islands." When Riku half-nodded a confirmation, Rokku's tightly-shirted chest puffed at his own expense. "That's my soldier!" He _thunked_ a mammoth palm across the back of Riku's shoulders.

Riku buckled.

"OY!" Nevaeh made her presence known. She leapt upon Riku's stomach, fighter stance as perfect as the first day they'd met. But, adverse to a week ago, her sword was nowhere to be found. Instead, she held a belt. _Her_ belt. Or, rather, _one_ of her _many_ belts. Nevaeh's midriff was bare. And blinding.

Nevaeh faced Rokku. Her resolve had never looked so wicked. "Run, Mr. Riku!" she hissed, eyebrows as steep as mountain peaks. "I'll hold him off while you make your escape!"

It was fortunate for both Hana and Rokku that their son was so well acquainted with Heaven Alexander. Before the latter made a move, Riku, still possessing the end of Nevaeh's braid, yanked her down beside him. Since a certain albino's disquiet roved around Riku and only Riku, she was shocked at his act. Which was why Nevaeh failed to counter, block, or anything else.

_Fwump_. Nevaeh flew head-over-heels. Or heels-over-head.

Hana and Rokku stared. Rokku's cigar threatened to fall to the floor.

Riku could do nothing but smile a fake smile. A _very_ fake smile. "Mom, dad?" He gestured toward the halter-top, the baggy-beige-shorts, and the mile-long-Rapunzel-hair. "This is Nevaeh."

Nevaeh took a breath. Once. Twice. Three times. "Pleased to meet you," she squeaked.

Riku consoled her: "Don't worry. They won't hurt you. Or me." He helped Nevaeh into a sitting position. Riku felt the need to do something. Even when that _something_ was the last thing Nevaeh desired. She hated his aid because it prompted her to think he thought her weak. If _that_ wasn't a mouthful.

Riku gave Nevaeh a mild squeeze of warning. He didn't want her flying off the handle in front of his parents.

Hana asked: "Sugar-booger, what was she doing under your bed?"

Riku cringed at her 'sugar-booger'. "Hiding."

His answer wasn't well received. If looks could kill...

"Why hiding?" his father growled.

Riku blinked. He lifted his hands in his own defense. The way his parents jumped to conclusions was incredibly embarrassing. "She was scared to meet you. She never got along with her father."

Rokku gnawed on the end of his cigar. He rolled the nub of brown from one side of his mouth to the other. "A rebel, eh?" His cinnamon irises burst to flame. Rokku didn't feel the need to expound. Like his son, he believed that the less words he spoke, the better.

Hana did her best to settle her husband's temper. But not directly. She patted Nevaeh's knee like only a loving mother could. "Aren't you precious?"

Nevaeh bowed. "Thank you, Lady."

Hana flushed. "OH!" She held her tiny hands over her chest. "Did you hear that, Rokku? She called me Lady!"

Rokku grunted. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

Nevaeh, inspired by their positive feedback (Yes. Grunting, to her, was considered 'positive feedback'. (Just contemplate _whom_ she was hanging around for the past week.)), decided to elaborate: "Yes. Titles are very important to me. Why, I gave Mr. Riku a title the moment I knew his name. At that point, his title was more important than his death." Nevaeh beamed.

Riku's parents didn't know what to say. They staggered. "_D-D-Death_?"

"Oh, yes!" was Nevaeh's confirmation. "I'm happy I failed, though. Otherwise, I would've _never_ received my first-and-only fairy tale kiss. Or my second."

Rokku made 'tch'ing noises.

Hana squealed a girly squeal. "_How sweet_!"

Riku pulled the covers over his head. "Kill me..." His withdrawal from Nevaeh's one-sided socializing lasted as long as his gainsaid curiosity. "Wait." Riku reemerged. Seeing as his parents were still suffering from shock, he had the time he needed to question, "What do you mean 'or my second'? Didn't Sarmiento-"

Nevaeh waved him off. "Tony was only kidding himself. He never had the power to destroy memories. Muddle them, yes. Manipulate them, yes, but _destroy_?" Nevaeh scoffed at Sarmiento's folly. "I remember our first kiss. A little. And I also remember raspberries. The only thing Tony's guilty of is making you angry. He's a fool for thinking he had the power to crush my recollections. The only person capable of accomplishing _that_ feat is, or was, Tarsus."

Nevaeh couldn't understand Riku's alarm. Her revelation took the wind out of his sails more than anything she'd ever seen. Nevaeh returned her attention to Riku's parents. Because one of them was formulating a sentence.

"Y-You? And..." Rokku stared at his son like Riku was an alien. "_Her_?"

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. "..._hn_..." was all he said.

Nevaeh cradled Riku's head against her belted chest. "Mr. Riku and I are an item." Sunlight streamed in from the windows above, lighting Nevaeh's smiling face. "I expect a proposal any day now."

Riku's face turned fourteen shades of red. "_What_?"

Hana fainted with jubilation. Rokku managed to catch his wife before she hit the floor. "Boy," he thundered. "You've got some explaining to do." Rokku swelled to his full height. All seven feet of it. "Eloping is_ not_ acceptable! Hit the ground, soldier! Five-hundred push-ups! PRONTO!"

Riku obeyed. Immediately. (His want to follow orders was unconscious, but quick.) Riku forgot that he was magiced to his bed and therefore took it with him. Not to mention Nevaeh. Before he realized what he was doing, Riku plowed through a round of push-ups. With every set he finished, Nevaeh was overwhelmed by mattress.

_Until_...

Nevaeh scrambled to her feet. She tore through bedsprings n' all, belt in hand. With a huff, she reached down through the layers of wire and padding, retrieved Riku's head, and threatened to choke him with her Lulu leather. "How _dare_ you tackle me without my permission? Lecher!"

"LECHER?" Rokku turned as red as his son. "ONE-THOUSAND PUSH-UPS! NOW!"

Hana drifted back to reality. Her eyes were full of sparkle and wonder. "My baby," she sniffed. "My sugar-booger's engaged..."

"ENGAGED AT SIXTEEN!" The veins at Rokku's neck were stark against his crimson skin. "_SIXTEEN_, HANA!"

Riku wished he could drop dead for just a little while.

(A/N:5)

**ooo**

Sora sat undecided. He didn't know which was worse. Riku's sticky situation or his.

"My sugar-booger's engaged..."

"ENGAGED AT SIXTEEN!_ SIXTEEN_, HANA!"

Sora stifled a snort._ Sugar-booger_. If that didn't take the cake. Sora had _never_ heard _that_ before. Unless he counted the fake pet-name Kairi bequeathed him in Space Paranoids. (He wondered if that's where she'd gotten it from...)

Sora had always made a point to avoid Riku's home. In fact, his visits could be counted on one hand. Among those rare occasions, he'd been forced to exercise and/or eat Hana's cooking. Not that she was a bad cook – her food simply came in bulk.

Even so, Sora would rather spend quality time with Hana and Rokku...

Instead of Kairi's foster parents.

The mayor and his wife were the best of the best. The crème de la crème of Destiny Islands. Whereas Riku's parents had character coming out the wahzoo, Kairi's were lacking. Very much. For Tomi and Keura, pretenses were everything. Their lot in life was to live up to their status. And they weren't about to anny up or compromise their hard-earned rank.

(A/N:6)

Leave it to say, Kairi's friendship with one _Keyblade Master_ wasn't regarded in the highest of degrees. It didn't matter to Tomi or Keura whether or not he was the hero of the age. As always, they scrutinized Sora with looks of discontent. Especially since Kairi was holding his hand. Or, rather, Sora was clinging to hers.

Sora gulped. "Long time no see, Mr. Mayor."

Tomi ignored Sora. He situated his monocle. "Kairi, dear?" He made an odd, blubbering noise. "You have no idea the commotion you've caused your mother and I. We hadn't a clue as to where you'd gone. We were worried."

Keura nodded. Her fancy, diamond earrings jingled against her jaw. "Oh, _dahling_, we looked _everywhere_ for you." She scuttled forward against the bondage of her chic, silk gown. Too fitted to walk. Too fitted to curtsy. Too fitted to do anything except stand. Still, Keura managed to move.

Sora had to give her props.

"_Dahling_!" Keura embraced her daughter accordingly. She kissed Kairi's cheeks. "How we've missed you."

"I'm sorry, mother," Kairi apologized. "But I had to leave. Our home was at stake. The King told you, didn't he?"

Keura held her nose. Like she smelt something bad. "You mean the _rodent_?" When she perceived the aggravated look on her daughter's face, Keura slipped her fingers to the bun-of-blonde at the nape of her neck. She took to styling perfection. "Yes, dahling, he told us everything."

Tomi tapped the end of his cane against the floor. "Yes," he blubbered. "King, was it? He informed us of your heritage and your..." Tomi hesitated. "...your _powers_." He changed the subject, hinting his relief: Thankfully, the Islanders are asleep. They know nothing of this incident."

Sora furrowed his eyebrows. "_Asleep_?"

When he didn't receive an answer, Kairi was forced to ask: "Asleep?"

"Yes. Asleep." Tomi dug around inside the breast pocket of his three-piece suit. He withdrew a golden pocket watch. Flipping it open, he added, "They've been oblivious to the going's on for several hours now. Ever since the lot of us were spirited away to this castle..." Tomi glanced around the infirmary. "...of sorts."

Keura wrung her hands. "Three, little witches..." She couldn't bring herself to continue.

"You mean the Fairy Godmothers?" Kairi smiled. "They must've put a spell-"

"OH!" Keura wailed Kairi into silence. "Spells and magic and _Keyblades_! What nonsense!"

Sora shook his head. "It's not nonsense." He summoned his sword. It materialized, as magnificent as ever. Its chain shone like the sun, almost surreal, and at its end dangled Kairi's charm. Truly, his blade was a stunning weapon. "It's not nonsense," Sora repeated. (In case Tomi and Keura hadn't heard him the first time.) "It's real."

Keura's wailing transformed into shrieks. "Young man!" she squealed. "Abandon that-that _thing_ this instant!"

Sora did as he was told. Only because he was too shocked to sustain his power. "_Wha_?"

Keura snatched Kairi off the edge of Sora's sick bed. "Dahling, you _mustn't_ associate with the likes of this boy. _Or_ his key."

Kairi blanched. She braced herself. "This_ boy_ is a _hero_!"

"Well," Keura sniffed. "His heroics nearly gave me a heart attack." She invited Kairi to come along. "With me, dahling. Don't be so pertinent." Keura's tugs didn't influence Kairi's accord by any stretch of the imagination. Even so, Kairi surrendered to her mother's coaxing. "We need to get you out of those _rags_ and into something suitable."

Kairi sighed. She followed Keura, incredibly disappointed. "Not rags, mother. _Armor_. The Fairy Godmothers gave them to me."

"Don't worry, dahling. Maybe they can _dispel_ them, too."

(A/N:7)

Sora gaped. "W-Wait!" He leaped to his feet. A surge of emotions struck him senseless. He was angry Kairi's parents insulted the King. He was astonished they refused to believe what they saw. He was sad Keura thought him trash even though he was a major protagonist. He was confused as to why Mickey chose to wake the mayor and his wife, of all people. And he was also concerned about his mother, who had yet to appear. But, mostly, he was angry. "You-"

Keura shielded her eyes. "_HEAVENS_!"

Sora blinked. He followed Keura's used-to-be gaze.

_Boxers. He was in his boxers. _

Sora dove back under the covers.

Tomi blubbered. "Well,_ I never_! How _dare_ you flash my wife!"

Sora strove to evade Tomi's cane. Its end WHACKED his dome, despite his efforts. Amazing to think that he could defend himself against Heartless, Nobodies, and antags, yet fail when it came to walking sticks. Sora stayed hidden under his sheets until the last tap of Tomi's cane was too distant to hear. And that was really saying something. Considering his newfound, beastly sense.

Sora sighed. He closed his eyes and buried his face amongst his mattress. "Why didn't Kairi just let me run when I had the chance? _Why_?"

"I dunno," spoke a familiar voice. "Maybe she needed moral support while she confronted her parents. Or maybe she thought you'd be facing your mom, instead."

Sora tensed. He unearthed his face to find Roxas. "Uh..." Sora looked from his chest, to his Nobody, to his chest, to his Nobody again. "What are you doin' out here? Aren't you supposed to be..." Sora pulled himself to his knees. He and Roxas mirrored each other – they knelt, dead center, feet hanging off the side of the bed.

The sheets draped over their heads like a tent.

Roxas grinned a Sora-grin. "Aren't I supposed to be inside of you?" he finished.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. How'd you-"

"-Kairi's Light." Roxas squinted up and to the left. "I don't remember much of the past day or so," he muttered. "I was lost in the Dark. Lost in Tarsus' disease." He considered Sora with a sparkle in his eye. "I take it we won, right?" Roxas was loath to discover the 'holes' Sora sported across his torso. "And it wasn't an easy victory, huh?"

Sora fingered his scars. He wasn't sure he wanted to explain that they were Kairi's doing. "Yeah. But..." Sora shook himself from his reverie. "That_ still_ doesn't explain why you're here."

"Like I said: Kairi's Light. It sorta..." Roxas palmed Sora's shoulders. Enough to where his Somebody staggered backwards. "...pushed me out."

"Naminé, too?"

Roxas brightened. "I hope so." He grabbed Sora's arm. "Let's go and see!"

Sora wrenched away. "I'm not going back out there! Forget it!"

"Chicken."

"_What was that_?"

Roxas folded his arms. "_Bock bah-kah_!"

The covers whipped off Sora and Roxas' heads.

There couldn't have been a stranger sight. Sora, in his boxers, sulking like a child – Roxas, mimicking a chicken. The both of them froze, suddenly realizing that they were out in the open. Their hair stood on end when they heard: "_Sora_..."

A beautiful brown-haired woman stood flabbergasted. Her baby-blues isolated Sora's condition. (She didn't notice Roxas, who took it upon himself to vanish into thin air. Or: back inside Sora.) "I appreciate the note you left me. And I appreciate your willingness to cooperate with the King. Now it's time to cooperate with your mother." She flourished a piece of paper beneath Sora's nose.

It was a contract.

Sora gagged. "I can't sign this."

His mother loomed over him. "_Why not_?"

Sora couldn't very well admit: _'Weekends? Holidays? How am I supposed to save the Worlds with schoolwork as my first priority?'_ He'd refused to sign the deal once before. Sora wasn't sure he had the guts to refuse again. He scanned the written words with distaste.

Mickey's signature was at the bottom. Right next to his mother's name: Seito.

(A/N:8)

"It's for the best," Seito said. "Isn't that right, your Majesty?"

Sora was taken-aback. He learned forward a little ways, having just noticed a pair of mousey ears. They were all he could see of the King from where he sat, but they were unmistakably defeated by the looks of them. The way they drooped was a dead give-away. Sora knew the feeling. He'd been scolded by his mother more times than not.

The King shuffled his stance. "Listen to Seito," was all he would say.

(A/N:9)

**ooo**

Nevaeh admired her brand new weapons. Two, curved daggers. She ran her thumbs down the edges of her blades. "Are you sure these are right for me? They're so different from my sword." Nevaeh twirled the knives, one at a time, looping her fingers through the doughnut handles. "I feel so vulnerable now I can't summon my Keyblade."

Flora giggled. "Practice makes better, child. You'll learn to use them in due time." The fairy waved her sparkling wand. "Besides, you specialize in speed, do you not?"

Nevaeh nodded. "True."

Flora performed a happy jiggle. "Then they're perfect." The Godmother fluttered around, re-facing the assembly of dreamers. The entire population Destiny Islands was snoozing at their leisure. From what Nevaeh understood, their presence here had been somewhat rushed. At the time of Tarsus' Veil, Mickey's options were limited. It was either 'take' or 'leave'. And the King was much too noble to consider the latter.

After their comatose arrival at Disney castle, Riku, Kairi, and Sora's parents were pulled from their magical sleep. The lucky five in-the-know.

Or not so lucky.

(A/N:10)

Nevaeh bade the fairies goodbye. She left their presence feeling sleepy, but contented. She approached her fellow do-gooder, an oh-so lovable smirk gracing her mouth. "Care to test my abilities?" she teased.

Riku grunted. He folded his arms across his chest and planted the back of his head against the wall. Having escaped from his parents (Only because they were discussing _this_-and-_that_ with the King and God-only-knew who else.), the first to-do on his list of necessaries was his clothes.

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were easy to find. They always were. Magic radiated from them like it radiated from Merlin. Times three. Riku merely followed the pink, blue, and green sparkles.

Riku was glad he was back in a pair of jeans. A pair of jeans that weren't ripped to shreds. "I can't believe you said that..."

Nevaeh cocked a fine, white eyebrow. "Said what?"

Riku scowled. "_I expect a proposal any day now_," he impersonated.

Nevaeh took a step toward him. Then another. "Well?" she pressed. "Shouldn't I?"

Riku's heart threatened to give. He tried to speak, only to fail. The words: 'Are you an idiot?' were close to slipping past his lips. Riku was glad he had the frame of mind to keep his mouth shut, then. Otherwise, Nevaeh's fist would've compromised his stupidity. "Heaven," he near-chuckled. "Where I'm from, people don't marry at sixteen. Remember?"

"Oops."

Riku sighed. "It's a little too late for _oops_."

Nevaeh didn't think highly of his tone. She balanced her dagger on the end of her thumb, thrust her pointer and her middle finger up Riku's nostrils, and yanked him down to her eyelevel. "Your wit amuses me," she purred. "So I have memory issues."

Riku was experiencing an altogether-new-to-him. And, frankly, he hated it. At the same time, Nevaeh was _so_ Nevaeh, she channeled his stoicism into something poles apart. Riku pulled Heaven's hand away. He couldn't believe he was actually starting to _like_ her mistreatment. Which made him angry. He wasn't in a great mood to begin with so this didn't help. "_Blasted flirt_."

Nevaeh scoffed. She spun on her heel. It was of no surprise that her braid broadsided Riku's face. "HA!"

Riku trailed after her. "_Ha_? I bet you couldn't go _one day_ without flirting with me."

Nevaeh stood stock-still. She turned her head the slightest of bits, piercing Riku with an incredulous stare. "Is that a challenge?" she hissed, already knowing the answer. "And if I win?"

"Whatever you want."

"Deal."

"_Good_."

Things might've gotten ugly if Sora hadn't made an appearance. His bed sheets were wrapped around his body like a toga. "Riku! I need your help. Quick!" Sora slid to a halt when he sensed evil intentions thick in the air. "Is this a bad time?"

"_NO_!" Riku and Nevaeh snarled at once.

Sora's ears throbbed. "Easy on the shouting, huh?" He tip-toed past the seething Nevaeh. Sora felt as if he was navigating his way through a mine field. One wrong step and he was liable to die a horrific death. "Riku?" he probed. "Favor?"

Riku glowered. "What?"

"I need you to open the Realm of Darkness for me."

"This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme, is it?"

Sora shook his head. "No. I just need to talk with Kairi."

Riku peeked over his shoulder to where Nevaeh stood. When he saw that she was doing the same as he, Riku snubbed her, as she did him. "So go talk to her."

"She's in the meeting-parents-the King-my Nobody-and the Light-Naminé-I just need to speak with her, okay?"

Riku blinked. "You're about as incomprehensible as Donald Duck."

Sora deflated. "C'mon, Riku, _please_?"

Riku stared at his hands. Not so long ago, he'd had the power to crush Chasers with a flick of his wrist. Now? He felt powerless. Not empty, as Aerith had described his situation. Just _different_: filling with Light besides full of Dark. "I don't know if I can anymore. Ansem's long gone." The pitiful look on Sora's face was just too pathetic to turn down. It was so sad, in fact, Riku was willing to give it a shot. "Fine."

Sora '_whoop'ed_.

"_First_..."

Sora contained himself. "Yeah?"

"Go get dressed, will you?"

**ooo**

**A/N:1:** Haha, I love Axel. I think he's one of my favorites.

**A/N:2:** Ah, sugar-booger. Hana means flower pedal, by the by. I think. I used an English to Japanese online translator.

**A/N:3:** You know it's true. Riku _could_ be mistaken for a girl. XD

**A/N:4:** Rokku means rock. Earth, flower pedal, and rock. All earthy stuff. Well...I thought it was witty. Lol.

**A/N:5:** Riku hates me now. This chapter is so much fun!

**A/N:6:** Tomi means wealth and Keura means beauty mark. Or something like that.

**A/N:7:** I may be delusional, but I think Riku said something about the 'Mayor's house'...once...in a KH game. When he and Sora were little. But I can't remember. I might've dreamed it.

**A/N:8:** Seito means star.

**A/N:9:** Seriously. This is how my mother would react if something like this were to happen to me. Just the other day, when my university decided to try and con me out of money I didn't have, my mother stormed the business office and raised Kane. I was so proud. A little embarrassed, yeah. But PROUD. (I'm still basing Sora's mom off my own.)

**A/N:10:** _SHEESH_! This is a lot of AN's! Anyway: That's how the King saved Destiny Islands from Tarsus' Veil. He had the power to transport everyone to the Cornerstone. So he did. Conversely, Mickey didn't have the time to ask or persuade. Else he would have.

In that case, it's best he keeps the Islanders asleep.

**ooo**

_A/N: Just so you know, TA isn't going to be as heavy as TW. If TW was heavy at all. There's no 'main' villain here. But that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of action. First thing's first: the do-nothing beginning. _

_The next chapters will revolve around 'normalcy'. After that, I'll be making due the promises I made. Sora and Co. will be off to (Insert World Here)._

_My gasp. This chapter is so embarrassing. HAHA!_

_Thanks for reading! Leave a review and I'll get back to you._

_God bless!_


	2. The Road To Recovery

_Dedicated to the Awesomeness._

_A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! For those who don't celebrate Christmas, enjoy the holiday to its best!_

_This chapter has nowhere to go and all day to get there. It really bothers me. Haha, poor plot. Anyway, I do apologize. Seriously._

_**Disclaimer**__: I'm not _that_ lucky._

**The Road To Recovery**

Riku focused on opening a portal to the Realm of Darkness. He had his doubts – his worries – his fears. The 'thing' that which gave him the power to control the Dark was long gone thanks to Kairi. He was emptied of Dark. Filling with Light. So: was there really any way to follow through with Sora's scheme?

Riku stared at his hands. He flexed his fingers. "Here goes nothing," he muttered. Riku held his right hand at arms-length, splayed to its fullest.

Nothing happened.

This wasn't a shocker. Whereas the power to bend Dark to his will had been something of second nature, he was going to have to_ try_ if he wanted to gain any ground here.

_If_ he wanted to gain any ground here...

Riku felt unburdened. Frail, but unburdened. There was no voice to chide him. No voice to tantalize him. No voice to influence his decisions. Did he _really_ want to instigate his Dark? Did he _really_ want to poke a sleeping beast just so he could see whether or not he held authority over the darkness?

No. Not at all.

Still...a part of him yearned to know. Was Ansem gone?

Riku closed his eyes. Tense, he felt for sinews of Dark. Tiny, impossible to see. They were everywhere, all around him. Suffocating. And this was one of the reasons why he wanted to test his limits. If he could _touch_ the Dark. Could he _manipulate_ it, too?

Riku pinpointed one, black fragment – the largest he could sense. He held it steady, ready to begin. It took every ounce of energy he had to prepare the opening of the portal. Riku wasn't sure he had the means to continue. If he so much as breathed wrong, he'd lose his concentration.

All the same, it hadn't escaped from him. Yet.

Riku beckoned the bead of shadow until he felt he couldn't maneuver the portal any more than he already had. Exhausted, Riku re-opened his eyes to recognize his efforts.

His portal was the size of his chest. And no more.

Sora emerged from the chamber of sleeping Islanders. (Dressed, now.) A broad, drowsy smile teased his face. Exactly the opposite of Riku. "Now _this_ is more like it!" he crowed. He rubbed his gloved hands together – like he was hungry for action or whatever it was he was planning. "Let's do it to it!" Sora strut his way to Riku's side. "Where's the portal?"

Riku grunted. He folded his arms across his chest and said, "You're looking at it."

"You mean _that_ little thing?"

Riku suppressed the urge to hit Sora over the back of his head. "It's all I could manage. You're lucky I made one at all."

Sora shrugged. "Whatever works." He measured the portal's circumference, then his middle. "You really know how to make this hard." Sora took several steps backwards. He accidentally bumped into Nevaeh, who continued to snub Riku with all she had. "Sorry."

Riku watched Sora dive headfirst into the Realm of Darkness. Though, his feet didn't quite make it all the way through. The sound of Sora's body thudding against the Realm's 'floor' was almost enough to make Riku and Nevaeh smile. Almost.

Riku hesitated before he jumped in. "We'll be back."

Nevaeh turned around. She looked uneasy. And startled. She scrutinized Riku's portal with wide-set eyes. "Sir..." Her cold-shouldering came to an unprecedented halt. "What are you doing?" Nevaeh's failing to interfere with Riku's actions and/or failing to eavesdrop on Sora's plan finally took its toll. She'd been so busy ignoring the male of her species she hadn't a clue what was going on. "Riku-"

He was already gone.

**ooo**

Kairi sat at the King's conference table. Along with the other Princesses of Heart, her parents, Riku's parents, Sora's mother, the King, and the Organization members. She wore her hooded dress, encouraged by Keura and magiced into existence by the Fairy Godmothers. So, of course, it was pink. Always pink.

Axel slammed his fist against the mahogany tabletop. (Keura and Tomi jerked in their seats.) "You can't just _not_ tell your people about the Worlds and the Dark and the-" Axel grabbed two handfuls of his bright-red hair. "What're you gonna do if something like this happens again?"

"Not _if_," Larxene corrected. "_When_."

Keura stuttered. "Y-Y-You don't understand-"

Demyx played a sad note on his sitar. _Twang_. "Larxene speaks the truth, lady."

Keura sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Rokku sucked on the end of his cigar. He sat as straight as straight could be, putting every single one of the Princesses to shame with his posture. "Don't you worry, Keura!" he thundered. "My boy's on the job." Rokku felt that his answer was more than satisfactory. Based upon the way he swelled with pride.

Tomi blubbered. He situated his monocle. "Admirable boy, I must say. A true asset to the Islands. And who would have ever thought? The Patrol Chief's son and..." Tomi didn't know how to label Sora.

(A/N:1)

Seito only smiled.

The King concurred. "Sora and Riku were chosen as Bearers of the Keyblade because of Kairi." He looked at her and she at him. "If it weren't for the Princess coming to your Island, who can say? The how and why of her arrival has yet to be determined. But I have a feeling it was meant to be." Mickey's tail swished behind his back. "While the Keyblade's power is a great advantage and an honor to wield, it's also very dangerous." The King pierced Keura with an intense stare. Or: as intense as his animated eyes _could_ be. "You'll be the Heartless' main target."

(A/N:2)

Keura fanned herself. Nervous, she asked, "_Heartless_?"

"Terrible creatures," said Cinderella.

"They'll destroy your home," said Snow White.

"They'll eat your World," said Briar Rose.

"They'll take your family," said Jasmine.

"They'll steal your heart," said Alice.

"Monsters," finished Belle.

Axel slapped the table again. Just because he could, as he needed to be the center of attention. "Not to mention make you poop your pants!"

Keura wailed. She alighted the back of her wrist to her forehead. "_Dahling_!" She reached for Kairi with her free hand. "Don't tell me you've been toe to toe with Heartless. _Please_ don't!"

Kairi bowed her head. "I'm sorry, mother," was all she could say.

"_DAHLING_!"

Larxene scoffed. She buffed her nails against her Organization XIII cloak. "What's with the waterworks? Kairi's fine, isn't she?" Larxene challenged Keura's wobbly, bottom lip with a skewed eyebrow. "In fact, I'd say your daughter is more of an asset than Riku and Sora _combined_."

(Rokku almost bit his cigar in half.)

The King motioned Larxene to hold. "The point we're trying to make is this: if your people know nothing of the Dark, their lives will be at stake. World Union isn't World Union unless every World cooperates. So far, Destiny Islands is the only World oblivious to the goings on." He steepled his fingers. "Though, exposing them to everything all at once might not be the best of ideas."

"Yeah," Demyx giggled. "They might react the same as _you-know-who_." He struck another note. _Twang_. The welling tears in Keura's eyes retreated behind her lashes. "That's the _last_ thing we wanna deal with."

Keura didn't know how to respond. Other than huff.

Tomi blubbered, "What do you propose we do, then?"

"I have a suggestion."

Everyone turned to look at Kairi. Her parents were startled, but proud. Rokku was unconvinced, Hana gushed with respect, and Seito encouraged the Seventh with a patient smile. The Princesses, the Organization members, and the King sat in rapt curiosity. Kairi wasn't the most vocal of people. But when she spoke, listening was prude.

"The Islanders need to know about the Darkness so they can protect themselves. And I know_ just_ the way to do it." Kairi smiled. "A girl named Nevaeh's been a part of our team for the past week. I've learned, upon meeting her, that she has the ability to manipulate memories."

There were hushed questions posed. Such as: "Nevaeh? Didn't she aid the Mastery? Are you saying that we should trust a girl with identical powers as Tarsus?" Kairi ignored them all.

"I trust Nevaeh," was all she said. "And I believe she'll help us." Kairi faced the King. "All she has to do is alter a memory. One for each person. So-" Kairi paused. "So..." Her eyes strayed to her feet. She made a puzzled face. "...that's my take on the situation." She graced the conference with a beauty-pageant smile. "While you judge my proposal, I'll be under the table." And down she ducked.

Kairi bent to her knees. She cast Sora a curious glance. His torso sprouted from a portal to the Realm of Darkness. One that had, surprisingly enough, opened against the floor. Kairi didn't bother asking how. _Why_ was a different story. "What are you doing here?"

"Dahling?" Keura's hand tapped Kairi's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Kairi bristled. "Yes, mother," she called. "I've only dropped something." Her voice altered from proper-and-loud to common-and-soft. "Tell Riku he's not allowed to open any more portals for you."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "_Well, aren't you glad to see me..._" he whispered sarcastically. Sora disregarded Kairi's frown. He cut to the chase, "Have you seen Naminé?"

"No. Why?"

Sora pointed to Kairi's left. "That's why."

Kairi hung her head. (She didn't know why, but she was _incredibly_ tired of that phrase.) Kairi spun to find Roxas crouching down beside her.

"'Sup," he greeted.

Kairi almost leapt out of her skin. Her head smacked the underside of the table.

"_Dahling_?" Keura probed. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

Kairi massaged her crown. "Yes, mother. I..." Kairi was desperate for a loophole. She noticed Roxas' rings, snatched the white one off his finger, and stuck it in her mother's lap. "I've found my ring," she announced.

Roxas gaped. "_Hey_!"

Sora clapped a hand over his mouth. "_We're not supposed to be here_!"

Kairi clapped a hand over Sora's. "_Hush_!"

Another hand silenced Kairi's rebuke. It didn't belong to Roxas or Sora. It was too feminine for the likes of them. Kairi followed the hand to a wrist, to a forearm, to an elbow, to a shoulder, to a face. More accurately: Naminé's face.

Naminé waved. She didn't say anything.

"_M-m-mmm_!" Sora, Roxas, and Kairi said all at once. (Of course, they were incomprehensible because they were covering each other's mouths.)

Naminé held a finger to her lips. "There's a problem." She spoke so quietly her words were almost impossible to catch. "Kairi, the Light you possessed was powerful. Not only did you destroy Tarsus' Veil, you..." Naminé looked at her solid-self. Her gesture was plenty. "Roxas and I are you and Sora, but we're also our own." Naminé pointed toward her chest, where a piece of Kairi's Light pulsed with the beating of her heart.

Sora pulled Kairi's hand away. "This is a problem?"

Naminé nodded. "Kairi's Light – the Light Roxas and I possess – is no longer yours to bear. In its stead blossoms the Dark."

Kairi gasped. (Naminé dropped her hand.) "What?"

Naminé nodded. "Slowly, but surely, the Dark is rising. It's reentering the Worlds through yourself and the Keyblade Master." She offered Kairi and Sora a somber smile. "Don't condemn yourselves for the inevitable. Darkness would have found a way to survive, in one way or another. But to use the two of you as its resource? It shows just how far it's willing to go."

Sora crossed his arms on the floor. He sank in his hole of Dark. "Why _us_, though?"

Roxas' composure dwindled, mimicking Sora. "It's you because of me. It's Kairi because of Naminé. Neither of us-" Roxas pressed his hands together. "-melded. Like Nobodies should."

"Why?"

Roxas looked shamefaced. "We wanted to live. Still do."

Sora grinned. "Can't blame you for that."

"Yet..." Naminé fingered Kairi's Light. "We'll return these, if you want. We'll put a stopper in the Darkness." Resolute, Naminé pulled Kairi's Light to the surface of her skin.

Kairi shook her head. "No." She cupped her hands over Naminé's collar, forcing the twinkling ember back inside her Nobody. "You deserve to live." She waved Naminé's excuses to the wayside. "Besides, you already said the Dark would find a way to sustain itself, right? There's no point in staying its havoc for a _little_ _while_." Kairi was resolute in her words. "The Dark may prevail today, but its final defeat is certain. I promise."

Sora admired Kairi. It was as plain as day.

Kairi blushed from his attention.

Roxas broke the fluffy atmosphere: "Don't be afraid to call us if you need us, okay? Naminé and I will be there in a hurry."

Sora 'ooo'ed. "Are you serious? I can summon you?"

Roxas jabbed the end of Sora's nose. "Don't go getting any funny ideas. If I find you've called me when there aren't any Heartless to maim, I'll turn my blade on you, instead."

Sora gulped. "Right." He sank ever-lower in his portal. His chin and up were the only visible part of his body. Sora winced when Roxas and Naminé petered out in flashes of white light. He didn't bother waving good-bye. He was too busy sulking over Roxas' threat. "He's no fun."

Kairi giggled. She looked over her shoulder where her mother sat examining Roxas' ring. "I'd better get back. Before they miss me." Kairi stooped down and kissed Sora on the forehead. "And Sora?" Kairi hummed into his hair. "Don't forget to tell Riku if he opens another portal for you, he'll have _me_ to deal with."

"Roger." Sora saluted and made his exit.

(A/N:3)

**ooo**

Nevaeh walked toward Riku's portal. She stood undecided, ill at ease with its size and Riku's ability to conjure 'Dark' after yesterday's episode.

Nerves plagued Nevaeh. She cursed her fear and shoved her trembling hands underneath her arms. She couldn't stand how frightened she was. "C'mon," she whispered. Nevaeh forced herself to relax. "C'mon." She touched the portal at its center.

Black coiled around her knuckles. The stench of smoke assaulted Nevaeh's nose. She pulled away before it made her sick. The memory of Tarsus was thick in the air. It ripped her recollections to shreds, disregarding her absence or possession thereof. It was blinding.

Nevaeh coughed. She remembered herself. Luckily. "Mr. Riku," she chided his name. "Be careful, will you?"

**ooo**

_"__Be careful, will you?"_

Nevaeh's echo was the epitome of annoying. _Be careful_. What did she think he was? New at this?

Riku stared at Sora's legs. He wondered how long it would take – this needing-to-speak-with-Kairi thing. The minutes were slowly ticking by. Emphasis on slowly.

Riku kept his eyes on Sora's yellow shoes. It was the only thing bright enough to hold his attention. He didn't want anything distracting him. Not now. Not after Nevaeh told him to 'be careful'. Her plea practically _begged_ something to appear out-of-nowhere and gobble him whole. When Nevaeh worried, nothing turned for the better. Only for the worse.

Riku's heart pounded. His palms began to sweat. His breathing pattern escalated. And for what, he didn't know. "Heaven," he grumbled her name under his breath. "This is all _your_ fault."

Sora's talk with Kairi was growing tedious. Riku dipped his chin and closed his eyes.

"_Riku_..."

Riku ignored the disembodied voice, hoping it would pass.

"_Riku_..."

_Riku swallowed the lump in his throat. He recognized this tone. It kept him up at night. It terrified him. And he hated it. "Ansem." Riku turned around, steely eyes narrowed against the black. He didn't know what else to say other than, "What are you doing here?"_

_Xehanort's Heartless hovered like a shadow. Like a white bird of prey. "How fitting," he chuckled. "Finding _you_." His crooked hands took hold of Riku's shoulders. It tickled 'Ansem' just how frightened Riku was. "Little puke," he scoffed. "You're shaking."_

_Riku shrugged Ansem off. His glower was beyond infuriated. Shaking with fear? No. Disgust? Yes. Riku's sword materialized into his hand. Into his fist. _

_Ansem wasn't interested in Riku's heroics. "Hard to imagine you're my host."_

"_Host?" Riku's jaw ached. His bared teeth were reaching their limit. "I'd rather die."_

_Ansem's smile was a wicked one. "That can be arranged."_

_Riku pulled his blade through the Dark, splitting it asunder. It didn't faze him when his steel met zero resistance. Ansem, in a sense, was merely a ghost of what he once was. That and nothing more. "Stay away from me," Riku threatened. "Or I'll kill you."_

"_Kill me?" Ansem tisked. "I _am_ you."_

_Riku refused to believe Ansem. He hacked and slashed and cut and stabbed. But Ansem felt nothing. Except, perhaps, disappointment. His orange irises crumbled Riku's hostility to pieces. The Realm of Darkness was his element. His dominion. Riku was nothing more than an insignificance. _

_The tip of Riku's sword speared the ground. He supported himself with his hilt, gasping for breath. Riku glared daggers at Xehanort's Heartless. Through his bangs, he stared him down, defiant as always. "I will never accept you. Never again."_

_Ansem folded his arms across his chest, impressive as always. "But you must. You don't have a Nobody."_

"_What does that have to do with anything?" Riku snapped. He strangled his curiosity. Nothing Ansem said was worth heeding. Be it true of false._

"_You don't have a Nobody. I destroyed that part of you a long time ago. When I took your heart. Remember? I needed that space to feed. To grow and fester." Ansem watched Riku glower under the soles of his feet. "_You don't have a Nobody_," Ansem repeated. "And as much as you don't care, you should. Without a Nobody, you'll die."_

"_Then kill me!" Riku spat. "Kill me and be done with it!"_

_Ansem didn't concede. "I'd love to. But you are what you are." For once, Ansem failed to explain. It was obvious that his weakness tasted bitter to his tongue. If Riku was his only hope, Ansem's self-hate was clear. "Your Dark is great. And your Light is _anything_ but an obstruction." Ansem held his arms open wide. "Let me in. I'll give you my powers. Don't you miss them?"_

"_No," said Riku flatly. _

"_Such impudence!"_

_Riku held his sword at his defense. _

_Ansem exhaled through his nostrils like an angry bull. "Let me in, Riku. _Now_."_

_"_Death first._"_

(A/N:4)

_Ansem considered Riku's defiance with a sneer. "Death. The coward's path. The path of least resistance." Ansem molded the Dark, bidding its appearance. Sora and Kairi's silhouettes played a game of tag around Riku's head. "What happens to Sora and Kairi once they've learned of your demise?" Ansem vanished, little by little. His voice plagued the void, "What happens to them? What happens when you let them down for the last and final time?"_

_Riku shuddered. Ansem's puppets followed in their master's footsteps. _

"_What happens to Nevaeh?"_

_Another silhouette took shape. She strolled in front of Riku's face, mindlessly braiding her hair. Her fingers worked of their own accord. She smiled._

"_Heaven..." Riku's chest heaved up and down, desperate for the oxygen he couldn't seem to find. Ansem tortured his soul – tortured his eyes. Riku knew he couldn't let evil take him down. He couldn't let evil take him over. If Ansem succeeded, Riku felt he'd break into a million pieces. To lay down his life was one thing. But when his friends and family became involved? _

_Riku's choice altered from difficult to impossible. This wasn't just _his_ existence anymore. But everyone's. _

_It's what Ansem counted on: Riku's complexities affecting his will. _

_Riku's sword disappeared. Weighing in 'the holes he'd leave behind if he decided to take his life' against 'Ansem' was no contest. He stood defeated. "How did you survive Kairi's Light?"_

_Ansem's face appeared, incorporeal. Bodiless. "I fled to the Realm of Darkness. Kairi is, or _was_, powerful, but not powerful enough to destroy every Darkness." Ansem drifted closer. "I can't survive without a host. Let me in, Riku. Let me in and live." _

_In choosing Ansem, compared to his loss of life, black had changed to gray. Riku refused to dwell on the mistake he was about to make. "What I have to be, I'll be," he said. Not for himself. Not for Ansem. But for his family and his friends. And..._

"_Lovely sentiment." Ansem forced Riku to look at him. Straight into his eyes. "I can see why you're attracted to that girl." (Riku remained frozen to the spot. Lax. Completely under Ansem's control. He didn't react to antagonism.) "You're the same. No Nobodies. Nourished by the Dark. You, me. Her, the blood of Tarsus himself."_

_Ansem's body melted to smoke. He wafted through Riku's mouth. His eyes. His ears. Ansem's grip didn't abate until him in his entirety drained out-of-sight. Riku awares was like a nightmare, aside from the fact that it was very real. _

_Déjà vu. Riku's past recreated that same pain and the same suffering he'd felt before. He was trapped with himself, in himself, powerless to escape. Ansem's spirit threatened to make him act in ways he never would. _

_Riku couldn't win._

_He was lost. Lost in the Dark._

(A/N:5)

"Riku?"

Riku opened his eyes. He jolted from his stupor, drenched in sweat. Ansem was nowhere to be found.

Sora shook his head. "You fell asleep..." He paused for emphasis. "...in the _Realm of Darkness_?"

Riku rubbed the sleepies out of the corners of his eyes. "It was a dream?"

Sora walked him by. "If you're _that_ tired, you should've stayed in bed."

"Yeah." Riku tore himself from his dream. He questioned its occurrence. More than once. Riku curled his fingers against his palm and closed the second portal. It was noticeably undemanding. "Hn." Riku didn't dawdle, as intrigued as he was. He copied Sora and returned to the real World.

No sooner had Riku planted his feet against the carpet...

_SMACK_!

Nevaeh's fist made contact with Riku's face.

Riku backpedaled. He tripped into the Realm, rear-end first. And since his portal wasn't that big to begin with, he found himself in quite the predicament. Immobile. Riku was _so_ stuck, in fact, his knees were touching his chest. He looked the midget. "Heaven!" Riku snarled. "What was that for?"

Nevaeh didn't begin her sentence with a 'HOW DARE YOU'. Not this time. Instead, she said: "This doesn't count against me, Mr. Riku. Our bet's still on."

Riku probed his cheek. Nevaeh hadn't broken anything. Her attack was off – she'd pulled the punch. "You call that _flirting_?"

Sora laughed. He put his hands on his knees, unconcerned with Riku and his_ stop-staring-at-me-like-I'm-an-idiot_ scowl. "Before I forget, Kairi doesn't want you opening any more portals for me."

Riku grunted. Which meant something to the extent of: _I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this._ "At least she has sense."

Nevaeh hipped Sora out-of-the-picture, him still chuckling up a storm. "After the injuries _you've_-" She flung her pointer against Riku's philtrum. "-sustained? You have the _gall_ to open portals and make me..." She couldn't finish. Truth be told, Nevaeh had never looked so terrifying. "I. Am going. To _kill_ you."

(A/N:6)

Fortunate for Riku, Kairi walked into the room. "Nevaeh, can I have a favor?"

Nevaeh's façade was remarkable. "Always," she cooed.

"I need you to manipulate a few memories for me."

Nevaeh hesitated. She gazed at her hands, mimicking Riku a while before. "I can try," she said, almost to herself. "If you wish it."

"Great." Kairi escorted Nevaeh into the adjoining room. When she passed Riku, she pointed at her eyes, and then his eyes, signaling that she'd be watching him. Or something similar. Kairi was too 'Kairi' to pull off this level of intimidation. Especially since half of Riku was jammed inside the Realm of Darkness.

**ooo**

Riku sat, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands laced together over his mouth. He watched Sora and Kairi on the other end of the room. The latter was poised on the edge of Sora's sick bed, legs crossed. Slowly, but surly, she molded orbs of Light into wobbly butterflies. With every one she made, its shape became more distinct.

Sora tried his best to flee from Kairi's creations. 'They tickle,' the Key Bearer said. Still, he encouraged his Princess to continue. Sora made a point to avoid or catch the butterflies. Riku was amused to see his friend crawl up the side of the palace walls – scamper behind the curtains, even, disturbing them no more than a gust of wind.

Tarsus' disease had left its mark.

Riku tapped his foot. Nervously. His minty eyes scanned the horizon out the window between the beds. It was mid-day. And yet...

Riku transferred his gaze across the room. Further along, behind Sora and Kairi. In their small, adjoining bathroom primped Nevaeh. If _primped_ was the correct term. She slowly combed her unbound hair, preparing herself for a very long rest.

(The time it had taken Riku to 'unstick' himself from his portal to the Realm of Darkness was the time it had taken Nevaeh to rearrange the memories of Destiny Islands as a whole. Though she was quick and proficient, her meddling had taken its toll. When Nevaeh emerged from the Godmother's chamber, she was dead on her feet.

Kairi and Sora agreed to take Nevaeh to the infirmary. As mad as Riku was, he couldn't let them take her alone.

"_What'll we do next?" Sora asked as he led the way to the medical wing. _

"_Our parents are taking tours of the castle." Kairi didn't have to elaborate. Her announcement hinted that she'd had enough 'mom and dad' time. "Why don't we stay in the infirmary? Don't you need your rest?"_

_Sora blew a raspberry. "Rest?" He turned around to face Kairi, back-flipped to a handstand, balanced himself thus, and proceeded to walk backwards with his feet dangling over his head. "I don't need rest."_

_Riku had to disagree. He wasn't one-hundred percent yet. Not even fifty. Even the thought of 'sparing' made him tired. "Where do you get your energy from?" _

_Sora shrugged. Which was difficult in and of itself since he was standing on his hands. _

_Riku, Sora, and Kairi turned down a hallway adjacent to the main foyer. Riku had to grab Nevaeh's hand before she missed her exit. _

"_Wait 'til we get to the room to fall asleep, Heaven.")_

Riku blinked himself from his reverie.

Nevaeh watched Sora and Kairi's fun. Her tired, orange eyes lit with amusement. Almost wistfulness.

Perhaps Kairi noticed, too. Because a swarm of butterflies fluttered from the ceiling and alighted atop Nevaeh's head. Like a halo.

Nevaeh giggled. "They _do_ tickle." She discovered Riku's stare, being so perceptive, and graced him with her tongue before closing the bathroom door.

Riku's fidgeting doubled: Nevaeh was going to win their bet – she'd win it without a hitch. If she fell asleep now, nobody would wake her up until dinner. Nevaeh knew this, but she had yet to confront Riku or demand her reward.

It scared him more than he liked to admit.

One of Kairi's butterflies landed on Riku's knuckle. He took a moment to admire her work. Kairi was an artist. (Whether prompted by Naminé or not, who could say? She'd always been good at rock-sketching.) Her achievement looked realistic.

Riku stood. He was tired of waiting for Nevaeh's blow. Better to get it over with. Riku strode across the room and stepped over Sora, who was smothered in butterflies of Light. Kairi's art disappeared at Riku's passing.

Sora sat up. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom," Riku grunted.

Sora looked at Kairi. They shared a shrug before the Seventh Princess of Heart created a miniature legion of bubbles. Sora busied himself with 'popping' while he reclined on his back.

Riku hesitated at the bathroom door. He sighed. "Heaven? Can I come in?"

"I don't know. _Can_ you?"

Riku's face fell. "_May_ I come it," he corrected.

The door opened. Nevaeh stood before him, contrapposto as per usual. She was dressed in a long, pink gown. On its chest was stitched an _N_ in white. Nevaeh smiled at Riku's confusion. "The Godmothers don't expect us to sleep in our clothes." She gestured behind her, where three more outfits hung: another pink gown and two, blue sets of pants and shirts. A _K, S,_ and _R_ were sewn to each. "I don't think they know we always sleep in our clothes. When we're in the field, I mean. I almost didn't notice them, myself."

Riku blinked. A look of 'why' persuaded Nevaeh to continue: "I'll need the Godmother's to magic me some school clothes in the morning. I didn't want them replacing my belts." She nodded toward the towel rod over the toilet, where her halter was set in pieces. Ten pieces. Her shorts were folded and hanging right beside them. "I can't leave my belts behind."

Riku still didn't know what to think. There was a little, nagging voice in the back of his head that kept wondering: _why would anyone want to spend so much time dressing themselves?_ It surely wasn't a simple task to belt a torso. Was it?

Nevaeh clapped her hands. "We even have our own toothbrushes." She picked one up off the sink's counter. "Pink isn't my favorite color, Mr. Riku, but I shan't complain."

Riku opened his mouth to speak, only to find not-a-word at his disposal. He'd finally gotten over the shock of seeing Nevaeh without her belts. It wasn't foreign, after all. She'd worn a wizard's robe, a peasant's garb, a maid's skirt, and a wedding kimono in the past. What was so different about this? (She was happy. _That's what_.)

Nevaeh stuck her toothbrush in her mouth when Riku failed to respond. She shot him a peripheral glace. "Blast. I hate how _chatty_ you are." Suds bubbled at the corners of her mouth. By the looks of things, the Godmother's toothbrushes didn't require toothpaste.

"What are you planning?" Riku finally asked. He raked his fingers through his hair, almost agitated. "Tell me what it is you want, already."

Nevaeh froze. She pulled her toothbrush from in-between her lips and spat in the sink, which vaporized her expectorating via magic. "What I _want_?" Nevaeh furrowed her eyebrows. "What in the Worlds are you _talking_ about?"

Riku loomed close. "Don't play dumb." (Nevaeh scowled. Her eyes flickered with an inner fire.) "You want to shave me bald? You want to refrain me from saying 'hn' for a week? You want me to spar with you at your beck n' call? _Tell me_!"

Nevaeh's frown turned into a smirk. "Ah." She laid her toothbrush where it belonged. "I like your ideas. Which to choose?" She tapped her chin.

Riku felt like hammering his face into the bathroom door. He'd done himself in. '_How thick can you get? All you had to do was keep your mouth shut_.' Riku braced himself for Nevaeh's decision. There was no way he was going back on his word. Whatever she said went.

Riku cringed at his compliance. '_Idiot_.'

Nevaeh batted her eyelashes. "Okay, sir." She faced him, as deadly as ever. "Are you ready for my decision?" Nevaeh puckered her lips and leaned forward. When she didn't receive a kiss, she pointed at her mouth. "This means kiss me."

Riku was disappointed. Sort of. "What? That's it? That's all you want?"

Nevaeh didn't alter her stance. Or her lips. "I'm not _always_ out to get you, Mr. Riku," she said. "What are you waiting for?"

Riku was suspicious. He opted to sulk instead of making a move.

Nevaeh opened her eyes. She stood up straight, off her tip-toes, troubled. Nevaeh contemplated saying one thing, then another. "Hm," she purred at long last. Her sub-vocal oscillation didn't sound catty. Not catty enough for Nevaeh. "You caught me – I was tempted to try that_ technique _of yours." She offered Riku a tiny smile. "You know me too well."

(A/N:7)

Riku watched Nevaeh float to his bed, fling aside the covers, and burry her face into his pillow. She shot him a curious expression. One unlike Riku had ever seen. As of yet. It was like she was making fun of him. Pointedly. Without a word.

It boiled Riku's blood. Just how many emotions was he capable of feeling is less than a minute?

Riku marched himself across the room. He ducked down to Nevaeh's level and waited for her to acknowledge him.

"Your stare needs a room of its own."

"You were serious?" Riku asked.

Nevaeh blew him off. She rolled over on her side again. "Silly boy. Of course I was serious." She hugged his pillow close, pretending to be asleep.

Riku rolled Nevaeh back. (She pulled a 'him'. She 'hn'ed. And her grunt meant:_ Watch it, Riku_.) "Heaven..." Riku kept calm. His body-language was casual enough. To the unsuspecting, he was no more than bidding Miss Alexander a sweet sleep. "Stop toying with me."

Nevaeh patted the side of his face. "Mr. Riku, you tactless thing!" She caressed his brow. "You can make up for your mistake later. If you've got the nerve by then."

It was like a tiny, nuclear explosion detonated inside of Riku's head. He wouldn't have been surprised if smoke started streaming out of his ears. "_If_? Who wouldn't be afraid to kiss someone like you?"

Nevaeh stiffened. She sat up to meet him, her hand now clutching his collar. "Someone like _me_?" she asked.

"Yeah. _Someone like you_." Riku challenged Nevaeh's close proximity. After an entire week of violations, he didn't mind invading Nevaeh's personal space. Not even a little.

Nevaeh bared her teeth. "Coward."

Sooner than expected, her appearance softened. It startled Nevaeh, seeing as she was the first to yield. Such a thing had never happened before. And, for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. Her definite confusion was apparent. (As was Riku's knowledge of her perplexity. Because he composed himself.)

"Do you know what I think?" Nevaeh whispered.

"If I say yes do you still have to tell me?" Riku's agitation fled. He tried to retain his anger, but it slipped him by. It was beyond his reach. The way Nevaeh flushed? The way she breathed against his face? It was impossible to hold a grudge under these circumstances.

(A/N:8)

"Good day." Nevaeh pulled the covers over her head. When Riku remained as he was, Nevaeh repeated: "GOOD DAY!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Women."

Sora and Kairi feigned ignorance.

**ooo**

**A/N:1: **I gave Rokku the job of Patrol Chief. (Like a Sheriff over the piers and docks of Destiny Islands.) I figured it suited him well.

**A/N:2:** Nevaeh was a Key Bearer a long time ago. Her job, when she traveled to Radiant Garden, was to look after infant Kairi while Kairi's father and Ansem discussed his research: _Dark_. Unfortunately for Nevaeh, the palace was attacked by Heartless. (Which is how she lost her heart.) But, before Nevaeh died, Kairi's power transported them to Destiny Islands through the Realm of Light. That's why Kairi ended up under the care of the Mayor and that's why Riku found Nevaeh washed up on the beach before she passed away. Nevaeh was caught in limbo until Tarsus revived her.

**A/N:3:** Roxas and Naminé are their own. YAY! I'll be writing them every so often – they'll be in Twilight Town. I'll also be writing them when Sora decides he needs a little help from his Nobody on the battlefield.

**A/N:4:** A quote from the Princess Bride.

**A/N:5:** Riku _is_ dreaming, but this scene alludes to what's going on inside of him. I was listening to Grim Goodbye by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus when I was writing. It's very obvious. Good song, too.

Riku doesn't have a Nobody because of Ansem. Nevaeh doesn't have a Nobody because of Tarsus. Just thought I'd clarify.

**A/N:6:** Aw. Nevaeh cares.

**A/N:7:** Referring to the chapter: Matchmakers. That's Why.

**A/N:8:** Witty lines belong to Everybody Loves Raymond.

**ooo**

_A/N: I told you nothing happens. XD_

_I would've saved this chapter for later when it wasn't so filler-ish, but I thought I'd give you guys a present. I'm taking this story nice and slow. I've finished TW. There's no need to rush._

_God bless!_

**Next Chapter Preview:** (Yes. My previews are back again.)

Nevaeh held her soup-spoon close. She blew across the steamy broth, lips pursed. Twin, pale bows. Moist. Perfect. Shapely. Soft. _Lips_...

Sensory overload: Riku stood to his feet in a hurry. He pointed a condemning finger in Nevaeh's direction. On the other side of the table she sat, confused as to why he was calling her out. "_HAH_!" Riku crowed. "You lose!"

Nevaeh blinked. "Lose?"

Riku's flirt-dar plummeted from 'Vixen' to 'Harmless'. He was losing his mind. "U-Uh," he stammered. "Nevermind."


	3. The Love Doctor

Dedicated to my Reason.

_A/N: Sorry this took so long. Lols, I'm such a procrastinator. _

_Note: A reviewer informed me that my online English to Japanese translator was off. I can't remember which names don't line up with their definitions, but I figured I'd keep them as they are, anyhow._

_Also: I received a note that highlighted a lot of my flaws. From now on, I'll try and fix my shortcomings as an author. If I want to be a real one, I need to be the best I can be, right? Henceforth, I will spend an equal amount of time on Sora and Kairi/Riku and Nevaeh, my author's notes will be at a minimum, and I'll keep my story as entertaining as I possibly can._

_Except for this chapter. XD_

_I hope everyone's having a good semester in school! Or a good couple of weeks at work. Or whatever it is you do. _

_**Disclaimer**__: I'd like to roundhouse kick the disclaimer in its face. (Kidding.)_

**The Love Doctor**

Sora, Kairi, and Riku decided to waste time in the Library. There was plenty of space to spar for two, rambunctious boys and there were plenty of books to satisfy a bored Princess. Their trip was unhindered, save for a run-in with Donald and Goofy. But they were busy making promises to one: _Daisy Duck_ and one: _Max Goof_ so they couldn't chat for long.

("I still can't believe you're a dad!" Sora gaped in awe. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Goofy ha-yucked. "You never asked."

"Have you seen our parents?"

Donald was busy hiding a box of gourmet chocolates behind his back – he was forced to indicate the grounds with a nod of his head. "They're outside. After the King took them to see the Cornerstone, they were more than happy to get some fresh air." A smile snaked its way across his beak. "Especially _your_ mom, Princess."

Kairi sighed. "I don't doubt it.")

After Sora, Kairi, and Riku waved good-bye (...not to mention: picked on Donald for his very-obvious gift...) they were well on their way.

"Why don't you spar with us, Kairi?" Sora asked.

Kairi tapped his brow. "Because you need to exercise your brain just as much as your body, you lazy bum."

Sora turned to Riku, his expression worn thin. "She calls me lazy and I'm about to own you in a test of mettle." He shrugged. "I don't get it."

Riku 'hn'ed.

"Sora! Riku!" A voice called. "Wait a moment!" It was Aerith. In her hands she carried two, large bottles of bubbling green medicine. Aerith wasn't one to run, but she could walk in a manner that was incredibly fast without breaking a sweat on her part. Scary. "Come here, boys."

Sora and Riku paled at the sight. Their stomachs tied in knots at the thought of Aerith's potion. She was a genius when it came to healing – her remedies were fantastic. But they were also thick. And chunky. And hard on the nose as well as the tongue. It was no wonder Sora and Riku became weak in the knees.

Aerith's approach was killer. Her maternal face fell into shadow. "Don't be afraid."

Sora clutched his middle. "But we've had five already." He almost horked when he took a good look at Aerith's vial. "Usually, one's enough."

Aerith regarded Sora and Riku with a patient smile. Like always. "Yes, but your injuries are serious. You don't want to get infected, do you? Just think of all the potions you'll have to drink if-"

Sora snatched for and downed Aerith's concoction without another word. "Delicious," he gargled.

Riku copied his friend. Only: more sophisticated. Which is hard to admit since his face was a nasty shade of seafoam.

**ooo**

Kairi settled herself in the King's reading chair. She'd long since pilled several volumes of books onto the big, yellow desk – she was determined to get some reading under her belt. These books, after all, were rare. Different. Foreign. Whatever. There was a mystery about them that Kairi couldn't deny. Books on Heartless. Ansem's logs. It was amazing.

_CLANG_!

Kairi watched Sora and Riku warm up. Warm up as in: they were only allowed to use their swords. No magic. No special abilities. Even so, their aptitude was out of this World. In Layman's terms, Sora and Riku had a strange relationship with gravity.

Sora backhand-springed from one side of the Library to the other. He flipped against the wall, taut his legs, and shot straight for the 'suspecting' Riku. The latter avoided Sora's sword with inches to spare, snatched his adversary by the collar of his jacket, spun on his heel, and threw him toward one of many bookcases.

Sora glided to an easy stop. He gave Riku a thumbs-up. "Nice."

Riku massaged his rotator cuff. "Aerith's amazing. I feel loads better."

"Yeah." Sora stretched, too. "'Nough of this mamby-pamby stuff. Ready for another round?"

Riku smirked. "Bring it."

Kairi rolled her eyes._Boys_. She reached for Ansem's notes, first. She was especially curious about him and his work. Mostly because he'd lived in Radiant Garden, which was where she'd grown up as a child. Seeing as Ansem's reputation was so well known, Kairi was sure her parents had known him or known _of_ him.

There were a few paragraphs devoted to non-Heartless experiments and random tid-bits. They shed light on a few things Kairi hadn't bothered to question until now.

'_They call me Ansem the Wise. The people here hail me as their ruler, though I'm not of royal blood. The Lord of Radiant Garden himself accepts these facts as they are. He doesn't have the passion to rule or govern. He's more of a figurehead than a Lord. Still, I owe him much. He's been gracious enough to fund my research. I only hope my hard work makes him as proud as it does me_.'

Kairi skimmed several pages devoted to Dark. Then she stumbled upon a name she'd never seen before. Bryte.

'_I fear Lord Brego worries about me. He sends his chef to my laboratory unannounced, bearing meals on his behalf. Brego knows how I operate. When I stumble onto something fantastic, I work myself to death. Yet another debt to repay_.'

"Brego," Kairi spoke the name. She smiled and read on.

New passages listed the kinds of food Bryte prepared, how magnificently scrumptious they were, and how much Ansem enjoyed her cooking. Soon, there were more recipes for lemon squares than Heartless.

Kairi suspected Ansem had a thing for Bryte.

The next word confirmed her hypothesis: '_Expecting_.'

"Ansem, you dog."

'_Bryte has chosen the name Heaven. I detest, but cannot refuse. Bryte's temper is more terrifying than the Heartless themselves_.'

Kairi thumbed through Ansem's thesis on Heartless, their motives, and the study of the Heart of the Worlds. Ansem's work bloomed. Diagrams and matrixes and numbers cluttered the pages of his journal like nothing Kairi had ever seen. His toil was brimming upon a breakthrough.

There were also ambiguous footnotes: '_Heaven's first word: 'blast'_.'

The next page was full of ink. As well as the next and the next. Ansem had blotted his findings. An inscription justified his halt in research.

'_June 11th, 1971. The D.T.D. The Heart of all Worlds. The Realms of Darkness and Light. The Heartless. My meddling has finally caught up with me. My life is in shambles. My experiments have lost my love her heart and I cannot retrieve it, though I've tried and tried. In vain, I've tried. How foolish was I to think my research so innocent? How foolish was I to dabble in the Dark? I refuse to allow my daughter to suffer the same fate. I'm sending her away - far away. Perhaps she'll forgive me. I only ask that she understand I can't keep her_.'

Kairi continued to read, but Ansem's sentiment was the last of his sidenotes. The rest of his journal was devoted to Heartless. Once or twice, he made mention of Xehenort, his apprentice, but that was all. '_My lust for life has vanished. My research has suffered. Xehenort is the only reason I've come thus far_.'

_WAP_! _WAP_!_WAP_!

Kairi flinched. She was just in time to see hordes and hordes of tomes topple from their shelves. They thudded against the Library floor in a waterfall of paper and font, burying both Keyblade Bearers alive. The only part of Sora and Riku Kairi could see were tufts of brown and silver hair. "Are you alright?"

Sora surfaced. "Oh no!" He hurried to put the books back where they belonged. "I knew sparring in here was a bad idea!"

Riku watched him work. He corrected Sora's _setting-books-upside-down_ or_out-of-order_ rampage. "_Sure_ you did."

Kairi stood to her feet. "Hey, guys, check this out." She showcased Ansem's journal when the boys were finished picking up after themselves.

Sora ran his finger across the pages. "These don't look familiar to me."

Riku put his hand on Sora's head. "I'm sure there were others out there finding the Ansem Reports besides you. You're not the only one."

Sora huffed.

"Ha." Riku's air screamed emotionless, but his voice said otherwise. "It's Heaven."

Sora wriggled closer so he could see for himself. "Really?" His eyes raked back and forth, from left to right. "'Blast'. Yeah. Sounds like Nevaeh."

Kairi's mouth dangled open. "This Heaven is _our_ Heaven?"

"How many Heavens do you think there are? It's not a common name, is it?" Sora leaned against the restocked bookshelf. He didn't feel like going into the whole _Tarsus-family-tree_ thing. "I dunno why anyone would name their kid something like that, anyway. It's too Mary Sue."

Riku and Kairi shared a look. "Mary Sue?"

"Nevermind."

Riku let it go. "I bet Heaven would like to see this." Kairi handed him the book and he slipped it into his pocket. "Now..." Riku searched for his sword. Since he couldn't find where it'd gotten to, he re-summoned it into his hand. "...about insulting Nevaeh's name..."

Sora's pose altered from swanky to ridged. "Huh?"

_CLANG_! And they were at it again.

(A/N:1)

**ooo**

Mickey stood in front of the Library's door. "This is my favorite room."

Hana and Tomi were starry-eyed. Rokku and Keura were having a hard time caring. Seito was passive.

Hana clung to her husband's arm. "Just think, dumplin'. Think of the exotic recipes!"

Tomi situated and resituated his monocle. He blubbered, "The deeds and titles and properties your Kingdom must have under its name! And the land grants! Ho, I can't wait to sink my teeth into those documents!"

Mickey's ears fell flat. Nevertheless, he turned the door handle, lackluster. Mickey opened his mouth to begin the how/when/why concerning his favored wing of Disney Castle, but no words were to escape his animated lips. His ears were lifeless before, but they were nothing compared to now.

(Mickey was going to need a whole bottle of starch.)

(A/N:2)

Sora and Riku were poised to strike. They stood facing each other, blades outstretched and brilliant. A blink of an eye. An intake of breath. A heartbeat. And they were off. Sora and Riku charged each other, no more than blurs of color to commonplace perception. _SHING_! Their swords struck.

Sora and Riku stood back to back, waiting for time to tell who had been hit. And who hadn't.

Riku dropped to one knee.

Sora beamed in victory. "HA! I got you-" A bump swelled on the top of his head. "Ow." He poked at his injury. "That hurts," he mumbled.

Riku leered. "Who's won now, Sora?" He didn't plan to make light of their tie, but Riku soon discovered that there were adults in the room. He bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't say anything else.

Seito, Hana, Rokku, Keura, and Tomi were at a loss. Sure, they'd been told that their children had saved the Worlds, but they'd never understood the extent of the powers Sora, Kairi, and Riku possessed. Mickey, on the other hand, since there was nothing to be done, smiled in spite of himself.

"Having fun?" he asked.

Sora half-laughed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Mickey considered the parents. All of whom were too shocked to speak. So far. "Dinner will be served in twenty minutes. I expect you'll be there?"

Sora nodded. "You bet."

Riku calculated in his head: the sun was a few hours from setting. "Why so early?"

"Early to bed, early to rise," was the King's response. "You have school tomorrow, don't you?"

Sora outright-collapsed to his bottom. "_Oh, man_," he complained, sitting there like a genuine lump. "School? I was hoping you'd forget."

Mickey ushered the shell-shocked Seito, Hana, Rokku, Keura, and Tomi out into the hall. "Don't worry. They'll be fine," he insisted over his shoulder. "They've been through a lot today." Before Mickey shut the door behind him, he added, "I'll take your parents to the dining room – they'll be there when you arrive. I need to see the Restoration Committee and the Princesses off; there's a chance I'll be late."

Mickey left them alone to worry over the mental scaring they'd just caused their parents.

**ooo**

Nevaeh opened her eyes. She smiled a wicked smile. She was awake, which meant it was morning, which meant she'd won...

Nevaeh noted the_evening_ sunlight illuminating the room. She bristled.

"Heaven," Riku urged. "Wake up." He put his hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "We're about to eat supper."

Nevaeh grunted. She hugged Riku's pillow. "Go away. I'm not hungry."

Riku didn't back down: "You dodged a bullet this morning. You're sly. I'll give you that. But are you _really_ going to keep cheating like this? You know what happens to cheaters, don't you?" (Nevaeh's left eye twitched.) "_They lose_."

Nevaeh sat up. She almost beaned Riku in the forehead. "Not in your wildest dreams, you-" She couldn't think of a name to call him. "You wretched,_wretched_ boy!"

**ooo**

Sora walked beside Riku on the way to dinner. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared off in the distance like he wasn't up to something. But Riku knew better that that.

"What do you want?"

Sora made a face. "Can't I walk beside my best friend in the whole wide Worlds without-" At Riku's glower, Sora cut to the chase: "Okay. Fine. I just thought I'd give you a pointer, is all."

"Pointer?" Riku was almost afraid to ask, "What kind of pointer?"

Sora's bright blues drifted ahead. Nevaeh was leading the way. She'd failed to change out of her nightgown to irk Riku's supper itinerary. "I heard you and 'Heaven' argue when you woke her up." Sora didn't see the point in admitting that 'Nevaeh Riku disaster' – an equation scary enough to keep him and Kairi _both_ out of the infirmary. "I decided..." Sora prolonged, "...that I'd give you a pointer from the Love Doctor."

"Love Doctor?" Riku asked. "_You_?"

"I'm not the one always fighting with my girlfriend," Sora muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Riku took the offensive. He grabbed Sora's jacket and swung his friend around to face him, lightning fast. "She's not my girlfriend," he said without thinking. (Sora's smirk didn't help matters.) "I mean..."

Sora waved him off. "I went through the same thing. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Riku let Sora go. "_You_ have a pointer for _me_?" The thought of Sora giving him any kind of advice was ludicrous, but the facts were undeniable. Sora and Kairi were the perfect match – always kind, always understanding. Riku grimaced when he compared his relationship with Nevaeh to Mr. and Ms. Happily Ever After. Riku hated the stats. He was losing.

"Yeah. And it's really easy."

"Go on."

Sora held Riku's hand.

Riku shook him off. "What? That's it?" He was dubious.

"Hold her hand," Sora said in that off-handed-_Sora_-kind-of-way. "I owe you one, remember? You'll thank me later."

(A/N:3)

**ooo**

Sora hesitated before he opened to door to the dining room. On its other side sat Kairi's parents. He'd already made a fool of himself. What with the way Keura treated him, Sora was afraid she wouldn't agree to his dating her daughter. Sora gulped. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Kairi kissed him on the cheek, which did a lot for his mood. "Their bark's worse than their bite," she said. "I promise."

Nevaeh muttered something about love-struck pansies.

Riku grunted.

**ooo**

Five minutes. The time it took to transform a dinner into a disaster: five minutes. So much happened all at once, Sora imagined that if, say, an author were trying to type the scene in which he witnessed, his/her brains would fry before they finished the last line. Even he, the Keyblade Master, had a hard time watching the supposed-to-be 'family' meal go down in flames.

The King had yet to show. There wasn't a question as to why.

Sparks flew between Keura and Seito, Tomi downed whatever it was he kept in his personal flask, Rokku lectured Riku about how to treat women, and Hana cried over Nevaeh. It was a circus. A circus caused by none other than Riku, of all people.

Sora could only imagine what Riku'd been thinking...

It started out fine. Pleasantries were exchanged, stories were told, and the first course was served. Sora prided himself on acting the gentleman. He'd gone as far as seating Kairi, waiting for her to sip her soup before he dared to touch his spoon, refusing to rest his elbows on the table, smiling, striking in-depth conversations with Keura, and addressing Seito as 'mother' instead of 'mom'.

But Riku? He was playing a whole 'nother ball game. In a whole 'nother field.

_Nevaeh held her soup-spoon close. She blew across the steamy broth, lips pursed. Twin, pale bows. Moist. Perfect. Shapely. Soft. _Lips

_Sensory overload: Riku stood to his feet in a hurry. He pointed a condemning finger in Nevaeh's direction. On the other side of the table she sat, confused as to why he was calling her out. "HAH!" Riku crowed. "You lose!" _

_Nevaeh blinked. "Lose?"_

_Riku's flirt-dar plummeted from 'Vixen' to 'Harmless'. He was going crazy. "U-Uh," he stammered. "Nevermind."_

Riku's outburst started a chain of events that couldn't be reversed.

First, Rokku asked what Riku was on about. And Riku wasn't shy to explain his bet with Nevaeh. Rokku's comeback was interesting:

"_Women are wired different, son." (_Thunk_. Riku buckled under the weight of his father's hand.) "A contest like that means nothing to them. They're concerned with the house and..." Rokku chewed on the end of his cigar. "..._woman_ stuff. End of story." _

"_Now, wait just a moment!" Nevaeh slapped her hands against the table. Her silverware jangled to the floor and her soup sloshed over her placemat. "I'm a warrior, not a woman!" (Riku heaved an agitated sigh.) "I'll be pulled through Underworld and high water before I'm Mr. Riku's woman-stuff housewife!"_

_Hana's pretty eyes glistened with hurt. "I'm a housewife, dear." _

_Riku buried his face into his hands. _

_Nevaeh's cheeks flamed red. More than red. Fire engine. "Oh..." She hoisted herself on top of the dining table and crawled in front of Hana. In her nightgown. "Please forgive me." Nevaeh bowed as low as she could bend. Her forehead and her knees were uniform. "You want I should go without supper? Or maybe you have a more suitable punishment in mind? The flog, perhaps?"_

_Hana sat stiff in her chair. "F-F-Flog?"_

_Rokku's mustache stood on end. He towered over Riku like a mountain of bulk. "Just _what_ kind of abuse has this girl been subjected to, eh?" He didn't even give Riku the time to formulate a response. "Drop and give me five hundred! Pronto!"_

_While Riku exercised, Rokku talked. "I think it's time I gave you the speech. The 'What Every Boy Needs To Know About Being A Man' speech."_

_Riku wanted to die._

Rokku's boisterous voice led Keura into a state of distraction, which led her to comment on how strong Riku was, which led Sora to say: "I'm strong, too! I've faced tons of monsters!" Which led to catastrophe number two.

Tales from the battlefield were out of Sora's mouth before Kairi could stop him. Since Sora had the knack for making dangerous exploits sound incredibly flippant, Keura returned his account with a 'barbarian' turn-of-phrase. Sora was too busy expounding the story of the Hydra to hear her insult, but his mother wasn't.

"_My son isn't a barbarian," Seito snapped. "He's a hero. Am I clear?"_

_Keura shut her mouth extra tight. _

_Seito settled. She motioned for Sora to continue. "Minus the details, please." Seito cut her eyes toward Tomi when he tried to object. "Comments, questions, concerns, mayor?"_

_Tomi scrounged around the inside of his jacket for his personalized, silver flask. "No, no," he blubbered. "No." _

Sora sighed. Nothing was easy. Not even dinner.

(A/N:4)

**ooo**

Sora's words were torment. More torment than the meal he'd just survived.

_Hold her hand_.

Riku had to concur. Sora wasn't incompetent. And since his best friend was trying to repay him for his matchmaking services, Riku figured he should _at least_ give Sora's advice a try. It was almost like Sora's voice was daring him, anyway.

_Hold her hand. _

Riku made a beeline for Nevaeh. Down the hallway he marched, determined like never before. He stepped beside Nevaeh, matched her pace before she even realized he was there, and grabbed her hand. Riku's daring brought an end to Kairi's one-sided conversation.

Kairi halted in her tracks, stunned to silence. Sora advanced from behind and hooked his arm through hers. He steered Kairi in the opposite direction. (But not towards the dining room. Heaven forbid.)

Nevaeh blinked at Riku. Sir?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Holding your hand."

Nevaeh stood still. Hence, so did he. "No."

Riku furrowed his silver eyebrows. "No?"

"No," Nevaeh repeated. "You're not holding my hand. You're trying to win our bet. _Well_," she huffed, snubbing him like only she could. "This doesn't count. _You're_ the one flirting with _me_. Not the other way around." Nevaeh didn't leave it at that: "And besides. Your flirting has no effect."

Riku smirked. "Which is why you're still holding my hand," he countered.

Nevaeh balked. She opened her mouth to say a couple, mean words, but Riku cut her off.

"_And besides_," he mimicked. "This..." Riku squeezed Nevaeh's hand a little. "..._this_ isn't flirting." He smiled a smile that plagued Nevaeh's subconscious. He hovered close to her trigger point – her philtrum. (Seeing as he'd witnessed a certain memory when he was trapped inside her head, he knew exactly what to do and what to say.) "Heaven," he whispered, smooth as anything. "You _like_ me, Heaven?"

Hook, line, and sinker.

"That's flirting."

Nevaeh made a funny noise. Not unlike Hana's 'meeping'. "Blast you." She struggled with her decision. Finally, and after a few second's hanging-in-the-balance, she purred: "I forfeit." Nevaeh threw her arms around Riku's neck and gave him the biggest, wettest, most disgusting kiss he'd ever received.

Riku had a feeling she did this on purpose.

Nevaeh didn't hang around, willy-nilly like. She offered Riku a destructive smile before she sauntered away in a swish of pink and unbound hair.

Riku watched her leave. "_Hn_." Jeeze, she was killing him. Still. Riku was happy.

Because he'd won.

So what if his prize were sore teeth?

(A/N:5)

**ooo**

Sora and Kairi took the long way around. They didn't mind. It gave them a chance to talk.

"I'm sorry about my mother," Kairi apologized. "She's only trying to protect me, you know. I just wish she could see you for you. Not for the troublemaker you used to be."

Sora blew a raspberry at the word 'troublemaker'. If he was a troublemaker, it was only because Riku had gotten him into something he never wanted to be involved with in the first place. Like diving off the pier. Or running around town brandishing wooden swords. Or terrorizing Destiny Island's finest restaurant in nothing but a pair of soggy, swimming trunks. "Don't worry. I'll make her see it."

"I know you will."

They ambled their way to the infirmary.

Sora scratched his head. He'd forgotten there were only two beds. "Where are you and Nevaeh sleeping?"

"We're sharing the guest room."

Sora grinned big. "So you walked me to my room? How chivalrous." He stood with his hands on his waist. "Gonna give me a goodnight kiss, too?"

"Gladly." Kairi pecked his lips, short and sweet. Before she abated, Sora returned her affections. Kairi wasn't complaining. She thought Sora was apt when it came to romance. His kisses were lingering, but not too lingering. He held her shoulders firm, but not too firm. She wondered how he did it.

Sora smiled because he knew he was good. "Just call me the Love Doctor."

Kairi left with a false heat. "_Please_."

Sora closed the door and hovered to his bed. He pumped his arms, awful proud of himself. Even Riku, who was exiting the adjoining bathroom dressed in a pair of pajamas he detested, could tell that Sora's head was inflating.

Sora scrutinized Riku and his new look. "Why are you wearing those?"

Riku pointed to the bedside table. Beside two vials of potion, there was a note from Aerith. 'Make sure to drink these,' it read. 'I'm leaving for Radiant Garden so I won't be there to look after you. I also asked the Godmothers to lace a Cure spell into your pajamas since you boys didn't like my last approach.'

"I'd rather suffer these." Riku tugged at his button-down of blue cotton.

Sora had to agree. "Did you and Nevaeh smooth things over or what?"

"Hn." Riku climbed into his bed and pulled the covers over his head.

"I'll take that as a yes."

**ooo**

**A/N:1:** Brego. I got that from The Lord of the Rings. He's Aragon's horse. It means 'Kingly' in Elvin. (That's what it said in the movie.) So, I thought, why not? As for Bryte: I know of a girl by the name of Bryghte. But I thought all those letters would throw a few people. That's why it's Bryte. (Bright. In case you're wondering.)

I needed a reason to explain how Ansem and Nevaeh were related. I didn't realize that I'd almost written myself into a corner. Ansem was supposed to be the ruler of Radiant Garden (or something...) and I totally forgot about that until now. Oops. I guess TW and TA with have to be semi-AU.

**A/N:2:** I watched a few episodes of House of Mouse. In one of them, Mickey says that he uses starch to keep his ears round.

**A/N:3:** Another idea I filched from Everybody Loves Raymond. Robert tries to give Ray advice on his relationship with his wife by insisting 'Hold her hand'.

**A/N:4:** I tried to write this scene so many times. It just didn't work out...meh. The 'What Every Boy Needs To Know About Being A Man' speech is from Secondhand Lions. If you haven't seen that movie, you should. It's one of my favorites. IT'S AWESOME!

**A/N:5:** I'm sure you guys remember the 'You like me, Heaven?' thing. Nevaeh had a bad habit of daydreaming about Riku saying those words before they hooked up. The RxN fluff is so...not serious at all. I'm bound and determined to make them have a meaningful conversation all the way through.

There's a chance my brain will explode, though.

**ooo**

_A/N: Man. This took forever to write. (Blasted writer's block...)_

_I made a poll. It should be on my homepage. GO TAKE IT! XD_

_Axel and Roxas will be reuniting next chapter. Not to mention: Riku gives Nevaeh Ansem's journal and tells her he's met her dad. And they make it to school! Finally! Oh, that'll be fun. _

_Thanks for reading! God bless!_


	4. Valentine One Shots

Dedicated to my Shield.

_A/N: IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ._

_This is not Chapter Four._

_I haven't been able to write very much lately. My city was hit by a tornado and there's a lot of damage around here. Nobody was killed where I live, thank God. Leave it to say, I've been a bit distracted. Housing dormless University friends and the like._

_I wanted to do something special for Valentine's Day. It's a good thing I'm stuck in bed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to type these one-shots. YAY!_

_Enjoy, everyone. Happy Valentine's Day!_

**Mayhem**

Riku walked toward his locker, Nevaeh in tow. He passed hordes of seemingly okay-with-their-new-memories students. Sure, they cast him glances more so then usual, but, aside from that, normalcy reigned. No one treated him any different.

Which, Riku suddenly realized, might be a problem.

A group of girls awaited his arrival. They huddled in front of his locker like a pack of wolves. (That's how Riku saw them. The way they stood, ready to spring? The way their eyes glinted? To him, it was all animal.) Riku hadn't taken his fanbase into account. What was once a handful of raging hormones was now more than he could count on two hands.

"Riku!" one girl cried. Hence followed a chorus of 'Riku'. Enough to where Riku started disliking the sound of his own name.

One girl glomped him. "I'm so glad you're back!"

Riku didn't have a clue as to who she was. "Hn," he agreed. "Me, too…" Riku bristled for the girl's sake. There was no telling Nevaeh's reaction. A part of Riku dreaded it. Yet, another part of him longed to see exactly what she was going to do. It was a small part, yes, but it was there.

Was Nevaeh in the midst of an attack? Was she plowing through the crowd as he thought? Was she-

Nevaeh stood on the outskirts of Riku's mob. She pulled on the end of her uniform. "Blasted skirt," she hissed.

Riku felt gypped.

Nevaeh intercepted his blasé glare. She returned the sentiment. "Stop ogling!" Nevaeh turned her back to him. "Lecher!"

All the commotion came to a stand-still. Every Riku fan-girl in the vicinity turned red in the face. Some muttered under their breath, but the most boisterous of them all demanded to know: "Why would Riku ogle someone like you?"

In truth, Riku pitied whoever-she-was.

Nevaeh spun on her heel. She faced the girl, nose to nose. Whereas her opponent shook in her shoes, Nevaeh possessed the rigidity of a stone statue. "Oh," Nevaeh purred. "We have a heckler." She smirked.

"I-I-" the unnamed unfortunate tried to rebuttal.

"Op-op-op, sputter," Nevaeh teased. "Next time, if you're going to taunt me, plan a couple steps ahead." She sauntered forward. The fem-Nazis standing in her way parted like the Red Sea. Nevaeh cuddled next to Riku, hands poised on his shoulder. "Hello, lover."

Riku was powerless not to smile. It was just like Nevaeh to crush the dreams of two-dozen hopefuls with only two words.

Mayhem ensued.

(A/N:1)

**Not So Happy Valentine's Day**

Sora was determined. This was going to be the best Valentine's Day ever.

He tugged at the collar of his white buttondown. His poor shirt was starched to the point where it was hard to move without crink-crinkling. Sora kept adjusting his tie. He almost choked himself he was so nervous.

Not to mention: his hair wasn't cooperating. Any attempt to soothe his mane of brown ended in failure.

Sora braced himself against his bathroom sink. He stared at his defeated reflection. "I don't know about this."

Nevaeh scowled at Sora's head. "I'll make your hair lay flat." She popped her knuckles. "Even if it kills you." Nevaeh pulled Sora into a headlock. Snatching a bottle of who-knows-what and emptying it and its entirety was only one service she offered. Armed with a brush and a heavy hand, Nevaeh attacked Sora's noggin like it was an antag due for a beating.

"I think you mean: _even if it kills_ me." (Or perhaps not…) Sora squirmed away, but he was intercepted by Selphie.

She sprayed cologne in his face.

Sora coughed. He fanned at the fragrance. It smelt terrible.

Maybe taking advice from the only girls he knew wasn't so smart, after all. Nevaeh was too brutal. Selphie was too meticulous.

Sora would've asked Kairi for help, but that would completely defeat the purpose. Riku? Laughable.

"_Should I go with a red tie or a black tie?"_

"_Hn."_

"_Do you think Kairi would like chocolates?"_

"_Hn."_

Laughable was putting it lightly.

Sora coughed again. "I think I'm good."

"You look so cute!" Selphie squealed.

Nevaeh pinched Sora's cheek. "Dashing, sir."

Sora made a face. "Can I leave?" he asked. "We've been here for two hours." Despite Nevaeh and Selphie's 'well' and 'but's, Sora made his exit. He fled the bathroom in a plume of heady scent. He hurried out the front door, ignoring his mom and her wanting-to-take-a-picture, about as timorous as all-get-out.

Never again.

Selphie and Nevaeh watched him make his hasty get-away. They didn't match his hurry with wanting to get away from them. Fortunately. "Good luck, Sora," Nevaeh and Selphie said as one, waving in time.

Sora shuddered. He picked up his pace. For the first time in a long time, he felt sorry for Riku.

On the way to Kairi's house, Sora picked some flowers. Mostly to override his cologne, but he figured girls liked flowers. He hoped. They looked nice, anyway. "See, Sora?" he told himself. (So he was primped by a couple of enthusiast. So he smelt like an old man. So he didn't have the munny to buy Kairi anything.) "Things are looking up."

The sky rumbled with thunder. Lighting flickered and rain fell.

Sora stood frozen. "Well…" he tried. "It can't get any worse, can it?"

The wind picked up. The flowers he held lost their petals.

Sora sighed. He trudged on, cold and wet. It wasn't long before he reached the mayor's house. Sodden through and through. Caked with mud. Runny nose. Messy hair. He was a sight to see. Sora tried to shake the water out of his shoes. He'd wanted to impress Kairi. Not scare her.

Sora hovered outside. He contemplated going back home, but the thought of Selphie and Nevaeh made his stomach churn. "I'd rather face Keura." Sora knocked on Kairi's front door. He smiled the best he could when it opened to receive him. "Happy Valentine's Day." Sora flourished his flowers-with-no-petals.

Kairi stared.

(A/N:2)

**Aww**

Sora decided to escort Kairi home. (If that wasn't gentlemanly, then nothing was.) Destiny Islands tropical weather was on a tear. One moment, it was blue skies. The next, a typhoon. Sora had a good reason to protect his Princess. The darkening clouds were enough to instigate Riku into overprotective mode. And that was really saying something.

When the rain began to pour by the bucket-loads, Sora removed his jacket. He slung it over Kairi's head and shoulders. "You'll catch a cold if you get wet."

(A/N:3)

**Nevaeh's Secret**

Nevaeh eyed the shoddy, hand-made flyer tapped to the front of her locker. Granted, a good deal of it had been ripped to shreds when she'd failed to remove the advertisement before putting her books away. No matter. The scribbles were easy to read: Sadie Hawkins Dance.

Neveah tuned in to her surroundings. She caught pieces of the students' conversations, seeming to ignore the giggles and whispers.

"_I know exactly what I'm going to wear."_

"_Do you think he'll say yes?"_

"_I'm so nervous. I can't dance."_

Nevaeh examined the flyer a little more closely. Upon her inspection, she discovered a crumpled, thumbnail sketch. There, in pencil, was a girl dancing. "Hm," Nevaeh pondered out loud. She cocked a fine eyebrow. "How intriguing." Without a second thought, she began her search for Riku.

Nevaeh navigated her way down the crowded halls of Destiny High until she found an unmarked exit. There was little else in her mindset besides discovering the truth. It fascinated her so. As a result of her careless, one-sided ifs and whys, Nevaeh didn't bother apologizing to the classmates she happened to shoulder on her way to the Blitz Ball field.

"Blast." Nevaeh scanned the empty arena with jaded eyes. "Where have you gone?" she asked herself. Even before the full sentence parted from her lips, her sensitive ears caught wind of several male voices drifting down the way. Nevaeh followed the deep lilts in pitch. And when she found herself face to face with a door labeled Locker Room, she gave herself permission to enter.

Nevaeh didn't spot anything out of the ordinary. She was too busy flushing out silver hair. Nothing but. She didn't understand the balks of every boy. Or their fleeing. It wasn't like she was going to kill them or anything. Today...

All of a sudden, a pair of minty eyes found hers. And they weren't very happy.

"There you are," Nevaeh huffed. "I've been looking everywhere-"

Riku hoisted her over his shoulder. Without explanation and without any hint as to why he wanted to relocate. This didn't bother Nevaeh. Riku rarely did anything unless it was for her benefit. Most of the time.

Nevaeh started over: "I've been looking everywhere for you." She planted her elbows into his back and dropped her chin on top of her entwined, lilied fingers. "I wanted to ask-" Riku made his way outside and set her down. The jar was more than she expected. "-ask who in the Worlds this Sadie Hawkins is." Nevaeh waved her flyer in front of Riku's disgruntled face.

He ripped the paper aside. "Sadie Hawkins is a dance. Not a person." Riku threw a thumb over his shoulder. "And you aren't allowed in there."

Nevaeh tapped her chin, looking ever so curious. "Why not?"

Riku ignored the question. He unclenched his fist to reveal the remains of the dance flyer. "Is that all you wanted to know? About Sadie Hawkins?"

Nevaeh picked the flyer from Riku's palm and straightened out the creases. She hugged it to her chest. "But look, sir. There's dancing." Her orange eyes grew soft and vacant. She caressed the pitiful remains of what was once a form of public notice. "I want to dance. Very badly. I haven't had a go in ages." She smiled. "Where may I find this Hawkins?"

Riku drug his hand down his face. "Dance, Heaven. It's a dance. There's no Hawkins involved. Sadie Hawkins means the girls ask the guys. Usually it's the other way around."

"Ask?" Nevaeh made a face. "This dance involves more than one person?"

Riku stepped out of the doorway. A few grumbling, teenage boys passed them by. They shot Nevaeh irate looks and resituated the lapels of their white shirts. "Listen..." Riku pulled Nevaeh out of their beeline. "I'll…uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

Nevaeh quirked an eyebrow. "I thought I was supposed to do the asking." On the outside, she knew she appeared cool, calm, collected, and self-assured. The inside was a different matter. When a frog landed itself in her stomach, Nevaeh had yet to determine. Either way, it wasn't lacking in skill. The little guy did acrobatics in plenty. "Will you, Mr. Riku, take me as your dance partner?" There was no better way to counter personal feelings of anxiety than sicing her counterpart with gobs and gobs of torture.

Nevaeh loved it. Riku didn't.

"Hn."

"I'm glad." Nevaeh sighed, all whimsical and such. "My old school never had functions like these. I would've invited my significant other, otherwise."

Riku did a double take. He couldn't have looked more surprised even if he'd wanted to. "You have a…" He ran his fingers through his hair. "…a boyfriend? Meaning…" Riku choked on his words. He was shocked. "…besides the Lameck thing?"

Eyebrows knitted, Nevaeh scrutinized Riku like he was out of his mind. "Yes," she chuckled at long last. "My knight in shining armor."

Riku opened and closed his mouth at least two or three times. "What?" He flushed something awful. "You never said anything about-" He stopped. Riku coughed into his fist. "You never said anything about anyone else."

"It's a secret," Nevaeh whispered. "Come closer and I'll tell you." When Riku bent down, she kissed him on his cheek. "You're so nonsensical. I was talking about you."

Riku's eyes flickered from Nevaeh's face to over her shoulder. Unbeknownst to the both of them (being in their own, little world), a horde of highschool ladies were granted their deepest, fangirl desires: Riku's hiding place. "Did you have to find me so easily?" he grumbled.

In less than a minute, Riku was decked in fans. Instead of rushing in all-haste to aid her lifelong partner, Nevaeh ambled away. The calamity died down the longer she kept her pace.

(A/N:4)

**Hug**

Sora tried to look appealing, but Kairi wasn't buying it. "Riku and I will be right back. Promise." He hovered outside her window. Bypassing the front door and the mayor and his wife was the blessing of flight. The only obstacle left: persuading Kairi to stay home. "It's only a teeny-weeny mission." Sora measured its size with his thumb and pointer finger.

Kairi snubbed him. She knelt on the edge of her bed, donned in a (duh) pink nightgown. She looked skeptical. "What about Nevaeh? Is she going?"

Sora shook his head. "Nope."

Riku wasn't even going to fill Nevaeh in – he wasn't even going to tell her good-bye. Sora thought about saying so. It would definitely make him out to be the better beau. At the same time, Sora felt that, if he did tattle something, he'd be slighting his best friend. (Riku was going to get an ear-full anyhow…)

"We'll be back by morning."

Kairi reluctantly gave in. "Alright." She reached out to give Sora a hug.

He was more than happy to oblige. But it wasn't a sideways hug. It wasn't a fist-to-fist, chest-to-chest, pat-pat on the back hug. It wasn't a crooked, right-arm-over-left-arm, left-arm-over-right-arm hug. It was a bear hug. One in which Kairi's arms were immobile against her sides because Sora held her so tightly. One that lasted for several minutes, chest-to-chest, cheek-to-cheek.

A Sora-hug.

(A/N:5)

**ooo**

**A/N:1:** You'll be seeing this again.

**A/N:2:** Lol. Poor Sora.

**A/N:3:** So! Sweet! Inspired by a picture I saw on the internet the other day. Zee and Pon, I think it was?

**A/N:4:** I kinda got the idea from one of Ted Dekker's books. Thr3e. This one-shot is also on my DA.

**A/N:5:** The HUG poem.

**ooo**

_A/N: I know this isn't much, but it's better than nothing._

_The poll results: Fifty percent of you want my ANs at the end of my chapters. Twenty-five percent of you want my ANs in the middle of my chapters. Twenty-five percent of you want pudding. Lol. So I guess ANs at the end of my chapters it is._

_I'll post the real chapter four as soon as I can. It might be a while, considering. I just wanted everyone to know._

_Thanks for reading! God bless!_


	5. Slow Start

_Dedicated to Love Incarnate._

_A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write. And I'm sorry it's short and filler-ish and BLAH. I made a promise to myself that I'd update TA during Spring Break. Yes, this is the real Chapter Four. Huzzah!_

_**Disclaimer**__: You jest. _

**Slow Start**

Riku didn't know what was worse. The hour in which he awoke or the nature in which he came to consciousness. 

"Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey!" Nevaeh stood on his back; one foot nestled in his bed-head of silver hair and one balanced on his waist. She bounced a little. Riku's face squished farther and farther into the recesses of his feather pillow. "Time for school, sir." 

Riku groaned. His one, visible eye swiveled around to pierce Nevaeh with his too-early-in-the-morning death glare. (The mother of all glares, truth be told. Riku wasn't a morning person.) To his surprise, however, Riku found zero intimidation at his disposal. Not because he was lacking in the angst department, but because Heaven was too…_something_…

Nevaeh's smile won the round. Riku couldn't scowl at a face like that. "Hn," he finally said. 

Nevaeh squealed, all giddied and such. It was a foreign sound. Coming from her. Or, more accurately, it was foreign because Nevaeh chose to excite herself over the ordinary. School had nothing to do with death, dismemberment, or torture. Most of the time. 

Riku tuned out Nevaeh's zeal. It wasn't hard. Instead of paying his Heaven any mind, he watched Kairi maneuver from the adjoining bathroom to Sora's bed, seemingly agitated. She was already dressed in her uniform, unlike Nevaeh. "You're right," Kairi sighed. "There _was_ a gown for me."

Nevaeh answered. But seeing as Riku's tuning-out really worked when he wanted it to, he didn't hear what she said. 

Kairi nodded. "That's the last time I sleep in my clothes." She tapped Sora's shoulder. "On your feet."

Sora didn't respond. 

Kairi pulled the covers off his head. "Don't be such a puddin'," she teased. "School's not that bad." 

Sora shied from the light. "Maybe tomorrow," he said, near incomprehensive. 

Kairi didn't miss a beat. She slid to the end of Sora's bed where she fished for his feet and tickled his toes. At first, her attempts didn't appear to have any affect. It took a good minute for Sora to react. He squirmed, he snorted, and (eventually) he burst out laughing. 

"Okay, okay!" he cried. "Uncle!" Sora rolled off his bed in a lump of sheets. "_Oof_!"

The infirmary door flung open to reveal Donald and Goofy, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. 

"Aw." Goofy drooped. "Kairi already woke 'im up." He pointed, though his gesture wasn't necessary. Sora was noticeably awake, struggling to free himself (yet again) from the ever-confining bed sheets. 

Donald waved him off. "Wahhh," he quacked. Donald waddled next to the Keyblade Master, who finally surfaced for air. And Goofy was right. Sora was awake. But, at the same time, he was as far from energized as he came. Listless. Baggy-eyed. Strands of hair fanning every which way. 

Sora looked like a beaten butterfly too lazy to wriggle himself out of his cocoon. Or: sheets. 

Donald pulled something out of his pocket. It was the size of his feathered hand. Blue. Shiny. "Look what I got," was his gloat. 

Sora had the strength to lift his eyes. "Is that…" His jaw dropped to the floor. "Is that a Play Box 64?"

Donald dangled the Play Box in front of Sora's nose. "Limited edition." 

Sora untangled himself, snatched the gaming system to his person, and fawned over the little, blue square. "You've got Empire of Souls III." Sora's eyes brimmed with happy/ridiculous tears. "I've been dying to play since I was stuck in that egg for two years." 

Donald, Goody, and Sora shuddered at the thought. 

Sora bounded to his feet. He held the Play Box over his head like he expected rays of light to emit from Donald's Empire of Souls III. "At last," Sora thundered in a dramatic, theatric voice. "After years of imprisonment, Havoc must fight to survive the evil of Bastion and his Empire of Souls." Sora thought it appropriate to add a: mwah-haha. 

Kairi shook her head. "It's just a video game." 

Donald, Goofy, and Sora stared at her like she was an alien. "_Just a video game_?" they said at once. "What are you-" 

"DONALD!" 

Donald's feathers stood on end. Only Daisy's voice had the power to affect his molting so. "Yes, Daisy?" Timid, he abandoned Goofy and Sora, clip-clapping across the glossy linoleum where his beloved stood as dubious as a female could. (Which is pretty dubious.) 

"When I said _wake_ Sora, I didn't mean _play games_ with him, too." 

"But-" 

"Is that what you bought yourself with the munny I loaded you, Donald, hm?"

"Well-"

"And here I thought you'd buy a pair of pants."

Donald sighed. 

Daisy's rant was soon overpowered by the beeps and blips of Empire of Souls III. Sora sat cross-legged, leaning left and right as the game progressed. Goofy awed at Sora's thumb-prowess, swaying in time. "Take that!" Sora pressed the joystick. "No, no! YES!" Lights flashed. A little tune played. _Do do-do-do doooo-doooo do do-do_. "Havoc owns!"

Kairi called Sora's name. He ignored her unintentionally. The Princess was not pleased. 

Nevaeh pulled Riku's hair. "Look, sir," she purred, steering him from his teammate-watching. "We're the only ones not arguing."

Riku planned to keep it that way.

**ooo**

After Kairi's insisting that he do something with his best friend, Riku took it upon himself to drag Sora from the infirmary by the scruff of his neck. Not that Sora noticed. He was too busy playing Donald's video game. Adversely, the mage's attentiveness of said fact was out-the-roof. 

"_WAHH_!"

Daisy put an end to his quacking pretty quick. 

Riku rolled his eyes. If he and Nevaeh EVER started acting like ducks, he would-

"NO!" Sora cried. "HELP!"

Riku kept on keeping on. The sound of Sora's body sliding along the castle corridor settled his anxiety because it was the only sound he heard outside the infirmary. Not Heartless. Not Nobodies. Not Chasers. Sora only screamed his head off for a false veracity. Riku realized he knew his friend too well when a cry for help didn't instigate his sword into being. 

Sora whined, "Havoc, you idiot. You'll never save Douse if you loose your soul." 

Riku sighed. 

**ooo**

Kairi struggled to carry Nevaeh's belts. If anything, she felt as if their roles were reversed. Nevaeh marched in front, acting for all the Worlds as if_she_ were the royal one. And Kairi tagged along behind like she was Nevaeh's handmaiden. Or something. Contrary to popular Princess-belief, Kairi didn't act high and mighty. (Unless the situation called for high and mighty, of course.) Nevaeh, on the other hand…? 

She clapped her hands. "You're lagging behind." Nevaeh picked up the pace, swinging her arms with much gusto. The windows she passed highlighted her speed in flashes of early sunlight. She was like a pink and white woosh. 

"Um," Kairi cleared her throat. She jangled all the belts she held. "Wanna grab a few?"

Nevaeh turned around. She looked at the belts and then at Kairi. "Not really."

Kairi's mouth fell open. It wasn't right to say her jaw dangled because Princesses never let their jaws dangle. Kairi hadn't spent a lot of time with Nevaeh over the past couple of days. Now she understood what Riku always harped on about. "Nevaeh," Kairi said evenly, refusing to walk another step. "Friends help."

Nevaeh beamed. "Yes," she acknowledged the statement. "You are helping me." 

"I _offered_ to help." Kairi gathered half of Nevaeh's belts in her left hand. She held them toward Nevaeh. "But you need to help me help you or I won't help at all." 

Nevaeh scoffed. She folded her arms across her chest. Her gown belled. "No, no, no." Nevaeh's tone was light. Kairi didn't have to worry about losing her head. "That's not how it's done."

"How what's done?"

Nevaeh grabbed her share of the belts. "You can't be so nice all the time." She whacked her Lulu leather against the palm of her opposite hand, emphasizing her point. "You have to _demand_ the respect you deserve. Like this…" Nevaeh stood as Kairi did. Straight, poised like a Princess, not a warrior. (Nevaeh planned to fix Kairi's error.) "Wanna grab a few?" she mimicked. 

Nevaeh shook her head, now playing herself. "Not really."

Then she bared her teeth. "_You will help me carry these belts THIS INSTANT_!" Her voice thundered down the halls. Nevaeh smirked at the volume of her voice, proud. "And that's how you convince me to help. Or anyone, for that matter." 

Kairi smiled. "Kindness works wonders, Nevaeh. You should try it some time."

Nevaeh bit her tongue least she grumble something audibly incomprehensible. 

A door opened up ahead. It's well-oiled hinges and animated face revealed Sora and Riku, clean cut and scatterbrained. A plume of red, green, and blue sparkles rolled across the carpeting like their entrance was equivalent to that of a rock 'n roll performance. Sora coughed. He stumbled across the hall where he braced himself against one of the bay windows. The dawn revealed magical and emotional exhaustion. 

Riku dusted the sparklies off his arms. Then he sat on the floor. "Hn," he grunted, obviously upset. He noticed Nevaeh and Kairi hurrying to meet them. ('Hurrying' because both himself and Sora looked as if they might drop dead at any, given second.) "The Godmother's aren't in a good mood," he explained before Nevaeh started investigating his condition.

Kairi pulled Sora's face from the glass. He left an imprint. "No wonder," she said. "They've been keeping the Islanders asleep for how long?" 

Riku shrugged. 

Nevaeh stared at him. Hard. 

"_What_?"

She cleared her throat, opened her mouth to speak, and shot herself down before she could think of a compliment. "Don't be stupid," she mumbled, jabbing her pointer into the middle of her forehead. "Miss Kairi," she almost-whined. Nevaeh scampered a retreat. She clung to Kairi's shirt. "I need help."

"Yes? With what?"

Nevaeh whispered behind her hand, "Being kind."

Kairi grinned an all-knowing grin. "Of course." She returned her attention to Sora who hadn't bothered to acknowledge the exchange. He was too busy unclogging his ears. (In this way, fairy magic was irritating.) Kairi fixed his tie for him. "You look handsome."

Sora made a gross sound. Like he was about to puke. "I hate uniforms. Especially the tie." He frowned at Kairi's prepping. Not a mad frown, but a sad frown. For the life of him, he didn't understand why he was incapable of tying his own tie. 

Kairi rolled her eyes. Sora was making her tutorial all the more difficult. "I think you look cute in a tie." 

Sora's eyes widened at that. He looked from Kairi to the tie to Kairi again. "I…" He grinned big. "I love ties." 

Kairi kissed him on the cheek. She stepped back and gave Sora a quick, silent critique. She tamed a tuft of his hair, as it had split into three once her lips graced his skin. "There," she giggled, blushing at Sora's evident, love-struck stupor. "All ready for school." 

At the word 'school', Sora's lovey-dovey trance unraveled at the seams. As Kairi made to explain the meaning of _kind_ to the note-taking Nevaeh, Sora backed beside the wall and slid to his bottom, copying Riku across the way. 

Kairi nudged Nevaeh. "You try." Her prompt was encouraging.

Nevaeh took a breath. "Yes ma'am."

Riku wasn't oblivious to the goings on. He contemplated whether or not he should make Nevaeh's attempt at _kind_ a little more demanding. Turns out, he didn't have to. 

Nevaeh grabbed Riku's collar. She adjusted his tie up and to the point where death-by-asphyxiation really meant what it said. "I like your tie._Wear it, or else_." Nevaeh would never choke Riku intentionally. Not when he wasn't insulting her. But she was nervous, this being the first time she'd ever said anything kind on purpose. A pre-meditated kind. 

Riku wheezed a 'thanks'. "Go get dressed." 

Nevaeh did as she was told, pleased with herself. She vanished into the Godmother's chamber, _la-de-dahing_ in a very non-Nevaeh way. 

Riku smirked. 

**ooo**

_A/N: Wow. Just…wow. My writing has suffered. My muse has fled for the time being. I'll keep writing, though. The more I try and write around my writer's block, the sooner it'll fall like the walls of Jericho.  
_

_Roxas and Axel reunion next chapter. Looking forward to it. _

_This is the only 'scene' I've written ahead of schedule. (Which is big. I usually write whole CHAPTERS ahead of schedule.) _

Nevaeh ran the ball down the field. Fast, of course. Speed was her specialty. She executed ridiculous plays, no more than a blur. An array of dew highlighted her agility like beads of light. Nevaeh proceeded to humiliate the majority of Riku's teammates despite the sodden grass. Her footwork was incredible. 

Nevaeh dribbled the Blitz Ball in-between Tidus' legs. She didn't fake to the left or to the right and continue on her merry way. No. That wasn't her style. Nevaeh executed a front-hand spring off the toe-head's shoulders and landed in a cat-like crouch, poised. (Duh.) She snatched the Blitz Ball with both hands, rolling it a quarter of an inch so as to avoid a player's kicking foot. Then she leapt into the air when Wakka and another fellow tried to tackle her from either side. Nevaeh's legs were so straight and so limber her move could've been mistaken for a cheerleader toe-touch.

Riku blinked. Blasted dew. 

Nevaeh stood on top of a mound of boys. A twisted victor. She spun the Blitz Ball on her finger tip and flicked it into the air. Then she roundhouse-kicked a goal. The netting stood not a chance. _RIP_.

The field fell silent. The coach was speechless.

Riku blinked again. Three times. 

Sora laughed, breaking the stunned quiet. "_That_ was _subtle_?" He muttered under his breath about how he could've played just as well if he'd wanted to show out. 

"Hn." Riku's first idea was to congratulate Nevaeh on her awesome set. But his plan to praise Heaven Alexander wasn't his and his alone. Nevaeh and her very-obvious-that-she-wanted-attention routine was, as of two seconds ago, oh-so well received by every boy in the arena. They crowded her, amazed. Too close. _Way too close_. 

"You were awesome!" Tidus cried. "C'mon. Let's go again. Best two outta three." 

Nevaeh laughed a flirtatious laugh. (It annoyed Riku how much she'd improved in said department. Mostly because she wasn't laughing _with_ or _at _him.) She faked-punched Tidus on the edge of his chin. Gentle and (in Riku's case) infuriating. "Maybe next time, sir." 

_Sir_? Riku clenched his jaw. 

Nevaeh patted the lot of them on the tops of their heads. She sauntered away like only she could. And it yanked Riku's chain. What did Nevaeh think she was doing, walking like that? With her bulky thighs and her no-hips? "Hnnn." Nevaeh's strut, however maddening, didn't anger Riku nearly as much as the team. Was it his imagination or were they watching her leave?

Riku's seething was apparent. 

Sora _thunked_ him on the back. "Take a breath." He looked from Nevaeh to the team to Riku. "I never took you for the jealous type."

Riku folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not jealous," he grunted.

"Yeah," Sora snorted. "Right. And I'm the King of the Worlds." 

"Hn. When did you usurp the throne?" 

Sora didn't get the chance to rebuttal. Nevaeh bounded in front of them, all smiles. She wriggled as she stood, gazing up-up with hopeful eyes. "Was I good?" she asked. "I was good, correct?"

Riku relaxed a little. Mostly because his ego had been re-inflated. Nevaeh hadn't shown off for just any ol' person. She'd shown off for him. 

Sora nodded. You know. Since Riku was busy congratulating himself. "Uh, yeah." In essence, he didn't see how Riku handled such a rowdy girl. (Sora peeked over his shoulder where he pinpointed Kairi lacing her tennis shoes at the bottom of the bleachers.) He definitely preferred the feminine type. Feminine and tender, able to handle herself, but damsel enough to need a knight in shining armor.

Nevaeh swiped her fingers over his mouth. "You're drooling." 

Sora coughed. He rubbed his spittle on the back of his wrist. "Y-You, uh, did _that_ good. Nice pass…"

Nevaeh's eyebrows vanished behind her bangs. 

"…to yourself." 

She shoved him. "Go on."

Sora almost stumbled to the ground. "N-no!" he tried. "I'm serious-"

"_Noooo_," Nevaeh interrupted, shoving him again. "I mean, _go on_." She pointed at Kairi. 

Sora craned his neck. This time, he didn't bother with 'sly' nonsense. Now that he had Kairi in full-view, his jaw dropped. There was an addition to the once-perfect scene. A male addition. A _familiar_, male addition. It seemed like forever ago, but Sora never forgot a face. For the first time _ever_ he regretted Kairi's gentle factor. He wished with all his might that she'd forget about being nice slug Bob in the jaw.

Sora bid the still-silent Riku farewell. _Time for some damage control._

While Sora marched out-of-the-picture, the Blitz Ball team took his place. They commenced their Nevaeh-crowding. "You must be one of those Bearer-things," someone said. "Didn't catch your name."

Riku came to. He realized where he was in relation to his Heaven in relation to everybody else. Then he pulled Nevaeh against his side like she belonged here. (Permanently. _Permanently, permanently_.) Riku cleared his throat. 

Nevaeh hunched her shoulders. "What in the Worlds are you doing?"

One, particular boy – Uriah was his name – decided to intervene. (What a stupid, stupid move.) "Hey, Riku, don't be selfish."

Riku's glower was impressive. He felt as if he were staring down Tony Sarmiento all over again. _Selfish_? He had the right to be selfish! "Heaven and I…" Riku choked on the unfamiliar words. "…we're-"

"Engaged." 

"_Dating_," Riku corrected Nevaeh. 

**ooo**

_A/N: Here's a pre-Good Friday treat. _

**Tali**: -the servers and I decided that a thirty-dollar tip means true love.

**Sora**, **Kairi**,**Riku**, **Nevaeh**: …

**Tali**: (_Sour from the lack of laughter_.) You had to be there. (_Gets an idea_.) Okay, guys and gals. If you were to describe LOVE in one word, what would it be? (_Waves a finger at Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Nevaeh before certain, hurtful remarks are spoken_.) Humor me. This exercise is supposed to emphasize your character. Or something. 

**Kairi**: That's easy. Unconditional. 

**Sora**: (_Furrows brow_.) Well, it's like… (_Makes exploding sound effects_.) You know?

**Riku**: She said word. Not noise. 

**Sora**: (_Pouts_.) Fine. Indescribable, then.

**Riku**: Hn. (_Takes a long pause_.) Love's a choice. 

**Nevaeh**: Oh! (_Raises her hand_.) I know! Love is a verb!

**Tali**: Your answers aren't one word. 

**Nevaeh**: The letter A doesn't count. (_Looks incredibly threatening_.) Because I say so.

**Tali**: …and I'm just fine with that. 

_Thanks for reading! God bless!_


	6. The Plot Thickens

_Dedicated to my Everlasting Love._

_A/N: Holy snacks! We have plot! We have nineteen pages! We have a minor antag in-the-making! Gaspeth!_

_**Disclaimer**__: Must I think of something…?_

**The Plot Thickens**

"I. HATE. SKIRTS."

Sora plugged his ears. He was sorry Empire of Souls III was out of his hands, now.

'_You won't need _this_ for school,' the Fairy Godmother's told him, zapping his precious Havoc and Douse into non-existence._

Sad, really. ES wasn't even his…

"I. HATE. SKIRTS."

Nevaeh was _way_ too loud. Sora considered saying something under his breath, but thought better of it. Heaven forbid if Nevaeh caught wind of his insult. Or Riku, for that matter. Sora would've never pegged Riku as the _what-did-you-say-about-my-girlfriend_ type, but now that he dwelled upon the nature that _was_ Riku…

Sora chuckled. "Man, what a pair."

Kairi didn't hear him. She had her fingers in her ears, too.

Sora watched her sulk. Not for any reason. Kairi didn't know he was looking so she couldn't don a 'pretty face', which was how Sora liked it. Kairi spent too much time masquerading and not enough time acting like a kid. That's why he preferred the expression she wore presently.

And what a pretty expression it was. Against the rising sun, masked in lag-magic. Shimmer, shimmer. So…_pretty_…

Sora kept staring and kept staring until movement further down the hall sparked his reluctant interest.

Axel.

Sora unplugged his ears. He waved Axel over, gesturing that he had a 'surprise' for him. (He couldn't literally _say_ so because Nevaeh's fit was reaching its crescendo.)

Axel approached. He didn't look happy. Probably because his little, black book hadn't seen any action for a long, long, _long_ time. Axel shrugged his shoulders. As if to say: _What?_

Sora flourished his pointer finger, needing a second. He smiled at Axel – Kairi, too, seeing as he'd snagged her attention somewhere down the line. Sora closed his eyes, unsure of what to expect. He supposed Roxas would react like any other summon would. Sora wasn't in need or anything, but, perhaps, he could fake it. Just this once.

Sora pictured Kairi in his head. That was enough to spike his pulse. He called Roxas, feigning desperate.

Light ballooned within his chest.

Sora stumbled backwards out of his thoughts. He stumbled backwards in reality, too.

Roxas materialized, ready for action. He held his Keyblade over his right shoulder. His expression was wild. Heroic. Roxas glared around and around, eyebrows peaked. "Sora," he said, his back facing Axel and Kairi. (The latter rolled her eyes. The former gaped, stunned to silence.) "What's going on, here?"

Sora opened his mouth to say-

"I. HATE. SKIRTS."

"AG!" Roxas covered his ears. His sword vanished. "What's that God-awful noise?"

Sora's bright blues darted to Riku's sitting place. He hoped he hadn't heard…

"Hello?" Roxas snapped his fingers in front of Sora's nose. "Anyone home-"

"_Roxas_!"

Roxas stood ridged. Axel's voice hit the back of his neck and proceeded to stand his every hair on end. (More than usual.) Roxas came close to jumping out of his skin. He spun around, scrambling this way and that in order to see his friend of friends. (It was sloppy maneuvering, if Sora did think so himself.)

Roxas stumbled to his bottom, mirroring Riku's position, opposite the chamber door. (Riku, incidentally, didn't detect Roxas' appearance. He was busy lost in thought. Or brood.)

Roxas' was surprised, but happy. He smiled at Axel, who smiled in return, and just before anything heart-felt was spoken…

_BANG_!

The doors opened in a flurry of magic and noise and Nevaeh, crushing Roxas on the rebound. He disappeared in a _POOF_.

(A/N:1)

**ooo**

"I. HATE. SKIRTS," Nevaeh's loud, sugary, obnoxious voice buh-boomed. She continued to curse the stupidity of skirts – how fashion was more 'form over function' than anything and how she refused to wear one. "I don't care if there's a dress code-" Her rant was nipped in the bud.

Riku stayed where he was with Nevaeh's belts in his lap. (Kairi and Nevaeh _both_ had deposited them there without his consent. So he didn't touch them.)

Riku wondered what sort of things were taking place on the other side of the door he sat beside. He felt the left-over magic in the hallway supercharge like an air-born static. The blue, green, and red sparklies stopped their 'floating around', lit to attention, and drifted back into the chamber from whence they'd came. The pressure was intense.

Riku sighed. This wouldn't end well.

_BOOM_!

The door slammed open. It would've smacked Riku in his face if he hadn't been…well…Riku. He dodge-rolled in the nick of time (of course) and he peered across the hall, now thick with fairy dust.

Riku hoped nobody had been in the line of fire.

A silhouette appeared. AKA: Nevaeh.

"Ha," she half-laughed. "That'll teach you to mess…" Nevaeh's outline wobbled. Left, then right. "…with…me…"

Riku smirked in spite of Nevaeh's wooziness. It wasn't every day Nevaeh played the damsel. And, if Riku was honest with himself, he didn't mind showing out. (Showing out as in: _you're-such-a-girl,-good-thing-I'm-saving-you_.) Riku pushed himself to his feet, forgetting the belts. He took a couple of steps forward and caught Nevaeh, picture-perfect, just as she lost her footing.

Riku graced Heaven with a look that said: _You should be more careful_. But Nevaeh hadn't recovered enough to engage him in a battle of wills. In fact, she appeared to be on the verge of horking. So, while Nevaeh fought surge after surge of too-much-magic-exposure bile, Riku scrutinized Nevaeh's uniform.

It was funny, seeing her in sleeves. Even if they were short.

Nevaeh's hair wasn't twisted in a braid anymore. Instead, it was pulled into a ponytail and tied in-between her shoulders. Nevaeh's bangs were combed. Her split-ends were gone.

Riku's fingers twitched. He didn't know why, but he wanted to…_touch_…her hair. Not just touch it, really. More like _bury_ his fingers as deeply as he could. Deeply-deeply. Riku ignored his want, labeling the desire as ridiculous, and preoccupied himself with Nevaeh's skirt. Because it wasn't a skirt. It was a skort.

Hence, Nevaeh's thighs caught his direct consideration. He'd never seen them before, thanks to a certain pair of baggy shorts. For good reason. They were as blinding-white as her belly. And they were huge. Probably as big as his own, if he were to measure. While the rest of Nevaeh stuck to 'petite', her thighs…

Riku bet Nevaeh's thighs were rack-hard muscle. He didn't dare test his theory, though. He had a feeling Nevaeh would shake herself from her spell and slug him in the jaw if he so much as poke her leg.

Riku diverted his eyes, least Nevaeh shriek 'lecher', and cradled her head, which wasn't necessary – she was fighting to stand on her own.

…he just couldn't help himself.

Nevaeh blinked the magic out of her eyes. "HA!" she crowed again. Haaa-aah!" Nevaeh's jeering altered to panic. "What are you doing, Mr. Riku?"

Riku looked at himself. "I'm helping you."

An unseen enlightenment dawned upon Nevaeh. "Friends help," she muttered to herself.

Riku nodded his head. He didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about.

Nevaeh 'hm'ed. "You can stop helping me." She paused. "Anytime." She paused again. "Now."

Riku let her go. Still, as Nevaeh poised herself, he kept his hand on her head. In her hair.

Nevaeh blinked at him.

Riku acted like he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. He gazed down the hall, where Sora and Kairi stood slack-jawed. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I guess we're ready to go," he said. He cocked a questioning eyebrow at Axel, who started to…_cry_?

"_NO! ROXAS_!"

Nevaeh retrieved her belts, leaving Riku and his subtle, hair-holding pose exactly the same. She tugged at her skort. It didn't matter how hard Nevaeh tried, in the end. She couldn't hide her thighs in all their muscled voluptuousness.

(A/N:2)

**ooo**

Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Nevaeh stood in front of the biggest computer they'd ever seen in their entire lives. It was bigger than the one in Radiant Garden. Easily. Smiling back at their awe-struck faces was none other than Tron. He was gigantic.

Turns out, Disney Castle's high ceilings _really_ had an advantage when it came to technology.

The computer's motherboard flashed, indicating two locations in which another CPU was located. Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands.

"Hello, User Sora, User Kairi." Tron looked at Riku and Nevaeh. "User Riku, User Nevaeh."

Nevaeh folded her arms across her chest. The belts she held clinked against her side. "I don't know you," she sneered.

Kairi nudged Nevaeh. "Be nice," she whispered.

"I can't be nice to someone I don't know."

On screen, Tron laughed a computerized laugh. More 'ha ha's accompanied. Not just one, but many.

Sora cocked an eyebrow. "Tron? You alone?"

Tron shook his head. "No. I'm having-" He 'air-quoted'. "-_company_." Tron stepped aside, showing Sora just who his _company_ was. Nel was present, naturally. Standing next to her was another woman dressed in a similar suit as Tron's and beside her stood a man who could've been Tron's twin.

"Who're they?" Sora asked.

"Yori and Ram." Tron's mouth quirked a quarter of an inch. "Ram is my companion and Yori is my foil."

Sora scratched behind his ear. A lot. "Uh…yeah…" It took him a moment to decipher Tron's mechanized speech. Companion equaled friend. Foil meant complement. Or: significant other. When Sora put two-and-two together, he started and pointed a condemning finger at Tron's larger-than-life face. "HEY!" Sora barked. "What happened between you and Nel, huh? Miss Liaison? I though she was your 'foil'."

Tron blinked. "Just because we greeted each other in the User fashion does not mean she is my foil."

Sora deflated. "Right."

Tron changed the subject. "I am uploading you to Destiny Islands." He waited.

Sora, Kairi, Riku and Nevaeh weren't sure what to say.

Kairi took a moment to regard the empty room. "Is it just the four of us?"

"For now," Tron said. "Your parents wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to prepare yourselves for school. The King informed Daisy of the situation and she, therefore, woke you accordingly."

Sora stewed. Had Daisy and friends actually _done_ the waking, he would've gotten more sleep. Leave it to _rise-n-shine_ Kairi to wake up before the alarm. "Why?" Sora whined. He rubbed his eyes, still sleepy.

Tron blinked again. Like he was confused. Which was never a good sign. "You mother, Seito, said that you had a room to clean." (Sora gaped. Shocked. Angry.) "Kairi's parents, Tomi and Keura, said that she needed to go home straight away and change into a proper uniform. By that, I suppose they mean non-magical." (Kairi reigned in a lady-like sigh.) "Riku's parents, Rokku and Hanna, said that he needed to 'do the drill'. Whatever that means." (Riku started stretching.)

Nevaeh waved her Lulu leather at the computer screen. "And what of my parents?"

Tron flickered from blue, to red, to blue. "Your question does not compute," he told her.

Nevaeh cast a curious glance at Sora, Kairi, and Riku, who gawked at her like she'd lost her mind. "It was a joke," she insisted.

**ooo**

Sora was awed. What with Tron's new set-up, his teleportation technique was out of this World. (Sora laughed at the play on words.) Tron could transport several people all at once, each to separate, specified locations. Sora only knew this because, after he materialized into his bedroom alone, he accidentally asked his empty house where everyone else had gotten to.

Sora came to discover that a small computer had been installed while he was away. Thanks to Cid.

Tron blinked to life and explained: "There are three of these units on your Island. One with you, one with Kairi, and one with Riku. They broadcast a signal. Using said signal, I can transfer you from Disney Castle or Radiant Garden to Destiny Islands anytime, anywhere."

Sora gaped. "So…cool…" He rubbed the side of Tron's unit. "I bet the graphics card on this baby can-"

Tron cleared his throat. "Teleportation and communication purposes only."

Sora wasn't as impressed as before.

"Besides," Tron probed. "Don't you have cleaning to do?"

**ooo**

Kairi nodded at her new, never-to-be-used-for-anything-fun computer. "Okay," she said to Nel. "Gottcha."

Nel departed with a turn of her silvery hand.

Kairi waved goodbye and began the process of unknotting her tie. "I don't see what the fuss is all about," she mumbled to herself. "It's only magic."

**ooo**

Nevaeh watched Riku 'do the drill'. As in: laps around his house.

Nevaeh held her belts. Not to mention...Riku's shirt.

She actually _blushed_ when he ran her by. Yet again. Was it the in-motion aspect or the lighting aspect or the sweat aspect or the shirtless aspect? Which was supposed to be cute? Nevaeh couldn't recall. Now that she remembered how to react to what she was feeling, her skin wasn't shy about announcing her emotions. "This is a drill?" Nevaeh asked. She covered her cheeks.

Riku didn't answer her until he started the next lap. "Hn."

Nevaeh resented her feelings. They were the reason she'd lost the bet. They were the reason her face was so red. _Blasted_…

Nevaeh gave Riku's house a distracting smile. She imagined little Riku playing where she sat on the porch steps. The potted plants and the outdoor décor was incredibly pristine for being what it was. Nevaeh surmised that Hanna was as good of a cleaner as she was a cook. "You have a lovely home."

"Thanks," Riku huffed. And off he went.

**ooo**

Sora made his bed, eyes half-closed. He fluffed his pillow with a _pat-pat_ of his hand. Then he yawned a deep yawn. In consequence, he missed the flurry of zeros and ones scattered here, there, and everywhere. All Sora knew was this: he felt another's presence in his room. And since their approach was border lining the speed of light, he summoned his sword and made to attack what he assumed was a _very powerful_ opponent.

Sora halted mid-swing. He was right about the opponent part. Possibly the powerful part, too. But striking his mother was completely out of the question.

Seito pursed her lips. "We're you about to hit me with your key?" she asked.

Sora scratched behind his ear. A lot. A lot, a lot. "You scared me," was all he said. Sora started.

_His mother was standing in his room. She was home. So that meant… _

"I gotta go!" Sora gathered his things, mimicking the last day of school he'd attended. He dropped his sword, which vanished before it hit the floor, and darted down the stairs. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

The front door opened and closed. The sound of the bottom of Sora's shoes slapping against the ground outside was unmistakable.

Seito smiled. She appraised Sora's room. It was clean enough to satisfy her. "What a good boy I have," she cooed to herself.

**ooo**

Riku jogged to a stop. He knew he'd seen something. A flash, a spark. Riku rubbed his eyes. "Did you see that?"

"Code?"

Noise bred everywhere. Riku and Nevaeh hadn't noticed, until then, just how quiet an entire island could be when there were only four people on it all at once.

"I guess everyone's arrived," Nevaeh mused. "What now?"

Riku climbed the porch steps and peeked through one of the windows near the front door. By the look on his face, Nevaeh knew he saw his father. His mother, too. Extra laps and taste-tests weren't on Riku's agenda. "We're going to school. Now."

Nevaeh wrinkled her nose. "But you're all sweaty. You smell."

Riku ignored her. He picked up his things, pried his shirt from Nevaeh's fingers, and headed out without a word.

_Humph_. Nevaeh left her belts on the porch.

**ooo**

Sora fought his way through shortcut after shortcut. He knew them well. (There were several he and Riku 'made' when they were young. Choosing to use the back roads wasn't exactly what one would call suitable for a teenager. A boy of seven, yes. Fifteen, no.) Sora liked their convenience, anyway. Excluding the dirt.

Shirt untucked, hair decked with leaves, hands grubby, Sora looked every bit the seven-year-old.

It was his own fault he was such a mess. He was the one who decided to run on all-fours. But he wanted to make good time. Making good time meant making a good impression. And making a good impression meant Kairi's parent's approval. And Kairi's parent's approval meant Kairi's happiness. And Kairi's happiness was incredibly important to Sora.

Being a guy, Sora didn't figure his messiness would play _any_ sort of role in walking Kairi to school. None what-so-ever.

How naïve.

Kairi intercepted his arrival. On accident. Minding her own business, and making her way to school earlier than normal least her mother discover she hadn't changed clothes at all, Kairi didn't expect a certain someone to leap out of the brush. Much less tackle her in the middle of the path.

_BOOM_!

Papers and books went flying everywhere. (They all belonged to Kairi. Sora didn't have _anything_ is his bag. No homework, no books, no nothing. Maybe a pencil. Maybe.)

"Sora!" Kairi shrieked. She lay on her stomach, covered in dirt. Sora's huge feet were strewn across her back, one shoe off and one shoe on. "You clutz!"

Sora shook himself like a wet dog. He retreated to his haunches, shamefaced. "Sorry, Kairi. Are you okay?"

Kairi mulled. She hovered between annoyance and laughter. "You should look before you-"

Sora covered Kairi's mouth on the fly. His ears quivered; a threatening sound grated his nerves. "Who's there?" Sora growled. He heard it again. A _snap-snap_ in the bushes. Someone or something stepped on a brittle stick, which set Sora's awares on fire. He hunkered down over Kairi, prepared to spring.

_Click_.

**ooo**

Riku expected lots of questions from the principal of Destiny High. He expected conflict. He expected out-right refusal pertaining to Nevaeh's admission. What he didn't expect was a gracious bow, a humble assurance that Nevaeh would be well taken care of (regardless of her non-existent transcripts and her aptitude verification), and a cup of coffee.

"It's fresh," the principal offered.

Riku glanced out the open door. The smell of coffee permeated the office. It brewed at the secretarial desk, where bottles of Destiny Paupou creamers littered the farthest corner, stacked in a pyramid. "No thanks. I don't drink coffee."

Nevaeh piped up, "I'll take some."

Riku hated to envision Nevaeh's response to caffeine. "It tastes worse than it smells," he tried to convince her otherwise before the principal busied himself with pouring a cup of Destiny High's inevitable doom. "You wouldn't like it." Riku took Nevaeh's wrist before she did any grabbing.

"Your friend may tail you for today," the principal called after them. "By next week, she'll have a schedule of her own."

Riku nodded. He 'hn'ed his thanks and slipped into the hall.

He wondered at the principal's change in attitude. The last time they'd met, they hadn't been on the best of terms. Nevaeh was a miracle worker. Amazing to think that one, little memory could alter a person's point of view. Riku knew the repercussions of an altered memory first hand.

Riku released Nevaeh. (She wasn't a baby.) He kept his eye on her, anyway – just to make sure she didn't to anything…_malicious_. Riku was happy to note that she'd long since forgotten about her coffee. Nevaeh gazed, wide-eyed, here there and everywhere. The school was reasonably large, full of new people walking and talking about things she'd never seen nor heard. "Just follow me," was Riku's instruction. "I want you to treat this like a mission. Understood?"

Nevaeh nodded in a distant sort-of-way. "Yeah. Sure."

"Hn." Riku walked toward his locker, the curious Nevaeh in tow. He passed hordes of seemingly okay-with-their-new-memories students. Sure, they cast him a glimpse more so than usual, but, aside from that, normalcy reigned. No one treated him any different.

Which, Riku suddenly realized, might be a problem.

A group of girls awaited his arrival. They huddled in front of his locker like a pack of wolves. (That's how Riku saw them. The way they stood, ready to spring? The way their eyes glinted, highlighting their burning desires? To him, it was all animal.) Riku hadn't taken his fanbase into account. What was once a handful of raging hormones was now more than he could count on two hands.

"Riku!" one girl cried. Hence followed a chorus of 'Riku'. Enough to where Riku started disliking the sound of his own name.

One girl glomped him. "I'm so glad you're back!"

Riku didn't have a clue as to who she was. "Hn," he agreed. "Me, too…" Riku bristled for the girl's sake. There was no telling Nevaeh's soon-to-be response. A part of Riku dreaded it. Yet, another part of him longed to see exactly what she was going to do/say. It was a small part, yes, but it was there.

Was Nevaeh in the midst of an attack? Was she plowing through the crowd as he thought? Was she-

Nevaeh stood on the outskirts of Riku's mob. She pulled on the end of her uniform. "Blasted skort," she hissed.

Riku felt gypped.

Nevaeh intercepted his blasé glare. She returned the sentiment. "Stop ogling!" Nevaeh turned her back to him. "Lecher!"

All the commotion came to a halt. Every Riku fan-girl in the vicinity turned blue in the face. Some muttered under their breath, but the most boisterous of them all demanded to know: "Why would Riku ogle someone like you?"

Really, Riku pitied whoever-she-was.

Nevaeh spun on her heel. She faced the girl, nose to nose. Whereas her opponent shook in her shoes, Nevaeh possessed the rigidity of a stone statue. "Oh," Nevaeh purred. "We have a heckler."

"I-I-" the unnamed unfortunate tried to rebuttal.

"Op-op-op, sputter," Nevaeh teased. "Next time, if you're going to taunt me, plan a couple insults ahead." She shooed the girl away and sashayed forward. The Riku-Nazis parted like the Red Sea parted for Moses.

Nevaeh cuddled next to her beau, hands poised on his shoulder. "Hello, lover."

Riku was powerless not to smile. It was just like Nevaeh to crush the dreams of two-dozen hopefuls with only two words.

Mayhem ensued.

**ooo**

_Click_.

Sora's pupils dilated. He shook off the bright, white, polka-dotted vision and came to realize that his suspected 'threat' was nothing but a girl-student equipped with a very expensive camera. Even so, Sora wasn't happy. He'd been jumpy all morning, for whatever reason. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. As much as he wanted to revel in his no-evil-to-fight down time, he couldn't.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief. Kairi wasn't in any danger, at least. "What'd you scare me like that for?" he asked.

The girl didn't answer him. Instead of responding to his question, she perused through her gallery of photos. "Oh," she giggled. "That's a good one."

Sora sat up. He released Kairi's mouth – she'd been talking into his palm ever since he'd silenced her a couple minutes back – and studied the girl in front of him.

She was tall and lanky. Her blonde hair was twisted into a bun via two pens. She wore red glasses, bold lipstick, and heavy eye shadow. Her iris color was hard to tell. Hazel, perhaps. She sported a beauty-mark on her left cheek. She looked professional.

Sora cleared his throat. "_Hello_?" He hated being ignored.

The girl looked at him. Finally. She smiled. "I can see the headline," she giggled again. She would've sounded like Nevaeh, but her voice was uncommonly deep. "Hero Mugs Princess by Kijo." She raked the air with a cupped hand, setting every word in its place in front of Sora's eyes. "Now _that's_ a headliner."

Sora jumped up. "_Hey_!"

Kijo took another picture.

Sora went cross-eyed. He tripped over his own feet, lost his second shoe, and fell flat on his face.

Kijo smirked. "Ah-ah. No grabby." She held her camera close to her chest. "Attacking reporters isn't good for your image, Hero." Kijo, pleased with her photographs, turned and walked away. She began writing her story out loud: "Know the monster behind the hero..."

Sora didn't move. "You gotta be kidding me."

Kairi propped herself into a sitting position and dusted herself off. "I expected as much." She watched Kijo amble, swinging her camera in absolute triumph. "Thanks to Nevaeh, everyone knows _who_ we are, _what_ we are…" Kairi drifted off. She began collecting her scattered papers, one by one. The ones she could reach. "Popularity comes with a paparazzi."

"Not if I break the camera…"

Kairi left the situation alone.

(A/N:3)

**ooo**

Riku dragged himself into the men's locker room. He sat next to Sora, who looked just as beaten as he did. He wanted to ask, but his concern proved selfish. Very selfish. All he could think about was his last class. _Chemistry_. At first, Riku thought that having Nevaeh under his thumb was a sure-fire way to keep her from...being Nevaeh.

How naïve.

It wasn't that Nevaeh had taken the most coveted seat in whole the class: beside Riku. It wasn't that Nevaeh had leapt upon the two-person, lab table and challenged the teacher to a duel when said teacher chided Riku on his absence of homework. _"YOU try saving the Worlds! FOOL!"_ It wasn't that Nevaeh had shoved him (Riku) under the emergency hose, pulled the lever, and claimed to be doing him a favor. _"See? Now you don't smell."_ It was that…

_Nevaeh stared at the vials of chemicals with hungry eyes. "Just think of the explosions…"_

_Riku tensed. "What?"_

_Nevaeh corrected her statement fairly quickly. "The explosions of knowledge. In my head." She cracked a smile. _

…Nevaeh had made a mess.

Riku beat the ash off his clothes. He looked at Sora, who looked at him. "Don't ask." He scrutinized Sora's solemn expression. Now that he'd complained about his dearest-beloved, if only in his mind, he focused on his best friend. "What's with you?"

"I think someone's out to get us."

Riku waited for Sora to say more.

"Kairi and I were ambushed by a reporter named Kijo. Heard of her?"

Riku shook his head.

Sora snorted. "I'm sure you two'll meet. She has a thing for Key Bearers." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But it wasn't just her, though. I felt like I was being watched the moment I set foot in school. What's worse, Kairi was popular enough to being with. Now that she's a known Princess, she's getting attention from everyone." Sora stressed the word 'everyone'.

"I didn't know you were the jealous type."

Sora made a face. "Just you wait, Riku. You're gonna morph into the green-eyed monster here before long and I'll laugh with such abandon, you'll realize I'm not so jealous after all."

Riku quirked an eyebrow. "You stole that line from your mother, didn't you?"

Sora snubbed him. "I changed a few words, yeah. So what if I did?"

**ooo**

Nevaeh wanted to play. She wanted to play _very badly_. But, to her misfortunate, she didn't have the correct attire. So said Riku. (_Since when did 'school' need more than one change of clothes? It wasn't fair! It wasn't just!_) Nevaeh had an inkling that Riku's regulation teetered on the edge of nonsensical. And _made-up-on-the-spot_. She'd been naughty enough to deserve sitting on the first row of the bleachers all by herself, however. Nevaeh wasn't oblivious to her poor conduct. But it wasn't like she blew up half the Chemistry classroom on purpose or anything. She just had a knack for…destruction…

Nevaeh sat with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. Her deprived eyes watched as the Aerobics class jogged around the far end of the field while the boys made good use of their side. They were rough. They were ruthless. They were kicking the mess out of that stupid-looking ball.

Nevaeh wanted to kick it. She wanted to kick it. _She wanted to kick it!_

Nevaeh squirmed in her seat.

She needed the Princess. Kairi could _always_ make sense of certain emotions and she could _always_ wrangle them. Give advice. Or orders. Anything. Nevaeh wasn't sure what to do with herself.

_Blast_.

Nevaeh bit her bottom lip. She looked to the sky for an answer. "There's none forthcoming," she whined.

Nevaeh gave up. She stood to her feet. "Oops. Can't help myself." She began at a walk. Her pace doubled, tripped, quadrupled by the time she reached the goal post. The only two persons who took notice of her were Riku and Sora.

Riku grimaced.

Sora freaked. He rounded upon Nevaeh like she was an enemy. Or something. When he noticed who she was, he dropped his guard in the twitchiest manner Nevaeh'd ever seen. Hence, Sora sat. _Sat_. He sat in the middle of the field, completely worn-out.

Nevaeh didn't think she was _that_ scary. It kind of hurt her pride.

Blasted emotions. Nevaeh made plans to erase some of them later…

She focused on her target. Straight ahead, twelve o' clock. There was no escape.

Nevaeh stole the ball from a _slow-as-molasses_, unsuspecting player and ran it down the field. Fast, of course. Speed was her specialty. She executed ridiculous plays, no more than a blur. An array of dew highlighted her agility like beads of light. Nevaeh proceeded to humiliate the majority of Riku's teammates despite the sodden grass. Her footwork was incredible.

Nevaeh dribbled the Blitz Ball in-between Tidus' legs. She didn't fake to the left or to the right and continue on her merry way. No. That wasn't her style. Nevaeh performed a front-hand spring off the toe-head's shoulders and landed in a cat-like crouch. She snatched the Blitz Ball with both hands. She rolled it a quarter of an inch so as to avoid a player's kicking foot. Then she leapt into the air when Wakka and another fellow tried to tackle her from either side.

Nevaeh's legs were so straight and so limber her move could've been mistaken for a cheerleader toe-touch.

Nevaeh was glad she was wearing a skort.

**ooo**

Riku blinked. Blasted dew.

Nevaeh stood on top of a mound of boys. Like a twisted victor. She spun the Blitz Ball on her finger tip and flicked it into the air. She roundhouse-kicked a goal. The netting stood not a chance. _RIP_.

The field fell silent. The coach was speechless.

Riku blinked again. Three times.

Sora laughed, breaking the stunned quiet. "That was subtle…"

"Hn." Riku's first idea was to congratulate Nevaeh on her awesome set, but his plan to praise Heaven Alexander wasn't his and his alone. Nevaeh and her very-obvious-that-she-wanted-attention routine was, as of two seconds ago, oh-so well received by every boy in the arena. They crowded her, amazed. Too close. Way too close.

"You were _awesome_!" Tidus cried. "C'mon. Let's go again. Best two outta three."

Nevaeh laughed a flirtatious laugh. (It annoyed Riku how much she'd improved in said department. Mostly because she wasn't laughing _with_ or _at_ him.) She faked-punched Tidus on the edge of his chin. Gentle and (in Riku's case) infuriating. "Maybe next time, sir."

_Sir_? Riku clenched his jaw.

Nevaeh patted the lot of them on the tops of their heads. She sauntered away like only a girl could. And it yanked Riku's chain. What did Nevaeh think she was doing, walking like that? With her bulky thighs and her no-hips? "Hnnn." Nevaeh's strut, however maddening, didn't anger Riku nearly as much as the Blitz Ball team. Was it his imagination or were they watching her leave?

Riku's seething was apparent.

Sora _thunked_ him on the back. "Take a breath." He looked from Nevaeh to the team to Riku. "I never took you for the jealous type."

Riku folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not jealous," he grunted.

"Yeah," Sora snorted. "Right. And I'm the King of the Worlds."

"Hn. When did you usurp the throne?"

Sora didn't get the chance to rebuttal. Nevaeh bounded in front of them, all smiles. She wriggled as she stood, gazing up-up with hopeful eyes. "Was I good?" she asked. "I was good, correct?"

Riku relaxed a little. His ego had been re-inflated. Nevaeh hadn't shown off for just any ol' person. She'd shown off for him.

Sora nodded. You know. Since Riku was preoccupied with congratulating himself. "Uh, yeah."

In essence, Sora didn't see how Riku handled such a rowdy girl. (Sora peeked over his shoulder where he pinpointed Kairi lacing her tennis shoes at the bottom of the bleachers. She did this slowly because she didn't want to participate. She hated running.)

He definitely preferred the feminine type. Feminine and tender, able to handle herself, but damsel enough to need a knight in shining armor.

Nevaeh swiped her fingers over his mouth. "You're drooling."

Sora coughed. He rubbed his spittle on the back of his wrist. "Y-You, uh, did _that_ good. Nice pass…"

Nevaeh's eyebrows vanished behind her bangs.

"…to yourself."

She shoved him. "Go on."

Sora almost stumbled to the ground. "N-no!" he tried. "I'm serious-"

"_Noooo_," Nevaeh interrupted, shoving him again. "I mean, _go on_." She pointed towards Kairi.

Sora craned his neck. This time, he didn't bother with 'sly' nonsense. Now that he had Kairi in full-view, his jaw dropped. There was an addition to the once-perfect scene. A male addition. A _familiar,_ male addition. It seemed like forever ago, but Sora never forgot a face. For the first time _ever_ he regretted Kairi's gentle factor. He wished with all his might that she'd forget about being nice slug _Bob_ in the jaw.

Sora bid the still-silent Riku farewell. Time for some damage control.

While Sora marched out-of-the-picture, the Blitz Ball team took his place. They commenced their Nevaeh-crowding. "You must be one of those Bearer-things," someone said. "Didn't catch your name."

Riku came to. He realized where he was in relation to Nevaeh in relation to everybody else. Then he pulled Nevaeh against his side like she belonged here. (Permanently. Permanently, permanently.) Riku cleared his throat.

Nevaeh hunched her shoulders. "What in the Worlds are you doing?"

One, particular boy – Uriah was his name – decided to intervene. (What a stupid, stupid move.) "Hey, Riku, don't be selfish."

Riku's glower was impressive. He felt as if he were staring down Tony Sarmiento all over again. _Selfish? He had the right to be selfish!_ "Heaven and I…" Riku choked on the unfamiliar words. "…we're-"

"Engaged."

"_Dating_," Riku corrected Nevaeh.

**ooo**

**A/N:1: **Heh. Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I _had_ to write this scene. It was funny in my head.

**A/N:2: **Nevaeh has fat thighs.

**A/N:3:** Kijo means witch. Or something. I don't speak Japanese.

**ooo**

_A/N: YAY PLOT! FINALLY! I know this chapter is WAY sloppy, but…eh…if I ever did __**anything**__ to my standards, __**nothing**__ would get updated. Ever. _

_So, what've we learned? _

_1.) Sora has a major, major problem. He's mysteriously on-edge. Hm. Ponder, ponder._

_2.) We have an antag, everyone! Kijo! (I know. Lame. But you NEED a minor antag. Just because. Think of her…Draco Malfoy is to Harry Potter as Kijo is to Sora/Kairi/Riku/Nevaeh.) Trust me. She's a lot worse than I've portrayed her thus far. She gets in the way, she makes Sora (especially Sora) look bad, and she drives a HUGE wedge between Riku and Nevaeh. Snacks. (Now you know why I named her 'witch'.) _

_3.) Lastly, and leastly, Nevaeh's emotions. She can't seem to control herself. What will she do? Will she REALLY resort to…_

_Bum-bum-bum! Dramatical!_

_FLUFF next chapter! YAY! I can't promise it'll be GREAT fluff. Because, well, the Kijo thing. But it's pretty good up until she ruins it. I mean, wow, good. TWEE!_

_Thanks for reading. And thanks for being patient! God bless!_


	7. Popularity

_Dedicated to the Love of My Life. Twee!_

_A/N: Correction. The Afters is more like a Companion to That's Why rather than a Sequel._

_Alas, the fluff I promised is absent. I didn't write as much as I wanted...simply because I can't write right now. GAH! NO! The plot isn't addressed as much as before and I didn't get anywhere. (Hides in a corner.)  
_

_If you guys need something to read while you're waiting for me to update, you can check out these two stories:_

_**Wit's End**__: A TW AU. Sorta. I've always regretted starting TW with the SxK relationship in full swing. So, yeah! Riku and Nevaeh meet again, but I'm not certain how their future together looks…mwah-ha!_

_Link: _http: / www. fanfiction. net / s / 4228291 / 1 / WitsEnd

_**Simply Irresistible**__: RxN. ONLY. Rated T for risqué fluff. (No lime, though.) A collection of one-shots I didn't know what to do with. When writer's block hits, this will be updated en masse. _

_Link: _http: / www. fanfiction. net / s / 423400 2 / 1 / SimplyIrresistible

_**Disclaimer**__: You're joking. Let's continue, shall we? And hope that my writer's block will soon go away._

**Popularity**

Sora tried his best not to resort to all-fours running. Though, the very marrow of his mind ached to feel earth under his fingers…no…no, he couldn't. He wouldn't. Not in front of the entire Blitz Ball team. Not in front of the entire Aerobics class. Not in front of…Bob…or whatever his blasted named was. Sora didn't care. And he was surprised he didn't care. He always cared.

Sora dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. He bared his teeth. He growled.

_What was wrong with him?_

Sora ignored his beastly behavior. Every man had the right to feel this way once in a while. In Riku's case, he acted like an animal twenty-four/seven. Albeit a very emo, angsty animal, but an animal nonetheless. The truth was undeniable. Sora'd caught him snarl under his breath more times than not. Especially today. Jealously was ravenous, spreading like a disease and dining on the Key Bearer psyche like…

Sora shook his head. He kept his pace, even and steady. There was something wrong, here. His conduct was poor and he was seething mad. What sort of animal was he morphing into? Sora considered his hands. He half-expected them to sprout claws. But they didn't. They were normal.

Sora's shoes tapped against the bottom of the bleachers. He almost fell flat on his stomach. Regaining his balance, and disregarding the giggling girls who jogged him by, Sora lifted his eyes, up-up, until he saw Kairi. And Bob.

No. Not Bob. But almost identical.

Same difference.

Sora suppressed his loathing. "Hey, Kairi," he said with a smile.

Kairi finished lacing her shoes. She smiled in return. "Hi, Sora." He waved her hand and thus poked 'Bob' in his arm. "This is Zaine. He works for the school paper…" Kairi's eyes lit with hidden implication. They screamed for Sora to participate whatever game she was trying to play. (Little did she remember: she was dealing with Sora.) "…with Kijo."

Zaine made an odd 'huft'ing sound. "It's a bore, but I need the credit." He raked his fingers through his curly hair. And he did this in a way that encouraged Sora to roundhouse kick Zaine in his face. "Kijo's pretty stubborn. When she wants a story, she wants a story. Right now, she's interested in-" Zaine air-quoted. With a sardonic voice, he finished his sentence, "-the Heroes of Destiny Islands." His tone vanished when he looked at Kairi. "I'm more interested in the Heroine."

Sora sucked his lips into his mouth. _Don't say anything_, he told himself. _Don't say anything._

Kairi beamed at Zaine. Yet another reason for Sora to hate his guts. "You're sweet," she giggled. "I was just telling Zaine," she spoke to Sora before facing his twitching-self. "Your bravery, your skill. If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be a Destiny Islands."

Sora relaxed. A little. What Kairi professed was kind, but it wasn't necessarily true. She was the one who'd saved the Worlds. He was merely the 'vessel' in the great scheme of things. (Perspective was _so_ cruel.) Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Kairi." He cut his eyes at Zaine, who half-heartedly penciled Kairi's words on a sheet of notebook paper. "Don't let her fool you," Sora made sure to say. "Kairi's just as much the savior of this place as I am. If not more."

Zaine smirked a bit. In a friendly way. "You're a lucky guy. Heroine, Valedictorian, Princess, Mayor's daughter? You're sittin' pretty on a fine piece of work, pal."

Sora nodded. He didn't like the basis of Zaine's theory, but at least they agreed on one thing. Kairi was amazing.

Zaine stuffed his sheet of paper into his right-hand pocket, followed by his pencil. "I guess that's enough to satisfy Miss Kijo-Witch." Zaine's expression was so blaze Sora couldn't curb his laughter. (Kairi was too polite to accompany.) "Sorry for bothering you, Princess." Zaine faked a bow.

Sora folded his arms across his chest. 'Princess' was his line.

Zaine stepped off the bleachers. He put his hands on his hips, his stance cool and apologetic. "I'll try 'n convince Kijo to lay off. But you know women, eh?" Zaine raised his chin briefly. "But even if I don't convince her otherwise, take her criticism with a grain of salt."

"Yeah," Sora said. "Thanks."

"No problem." Zaine winked at Kairi. "Ciao." He walked away as charming as anything. His level of charisma was equal to that of Riku, even. Maybe more. Because, unlike Riku, Zaine actually smiled.

(_A/N: Another character. Must keep a close eye on this one. I'm not sure what he's up to._)

**ooo**

Kairi started off strong. She ran a third of the track before she surrendered to walking. What was the point in trying to run, anyway? It only made her look stupid. It only highlighted the fact that she was as slow as molasses. Kairi wiped the sweat off her brow. She was really out of shape. Defeating the Mastery wasn't training enough.

Selphie jogged up beside her and slowed to a walk. "Hey, Kairi."

"Hello."

Selphie stared. And stared. And stared.

Kairi touched her cheek. "What?" She checked the tips of her fingers. Nothing strange to note. If she had something stuck to her face, she couldn't tell. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sora," Selphie said. "You and Sora."

Kairi didn't understand.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "You left with him, didn't you?" Before Kairi could say a word, Selphie spoke again. "Now I don't know where you two went or what you two did, but I know it had something to do with those nasty, black things. And when there're nasty, black things, heroics aren't far behind. And heroics go hand-in-hand…" Selphie grabbed Kairi's hand, feigning bravery. "…with true love."

Kairi laughed. "Where do you get this stuff?"

Selphie flounced her hair. "I'm a romantic. It's my job." She clung to Kairi's arm. "C'mon, girls can't keep secrets."

Kairi blushed. She spent more time tucking her hair behind her ears than she did thinking of an excuse not to gossip. "I don't kiss and tell."

Selphie almost had a heart attack. "You kissed him?"

(The word 'kiss' and it's other forms: _kissed_ and _kisses_, attracted females to conversation like honey attracts bees. Especially in the past tense. 'Kissed him' meant it already happened. Which was tons better than 'will kiss'. 'Kissed him' meant rumor was ripe for picking, dissecting to death, and spreading around the Islands.

Kairi was unlucky: she was a Princess. Sora was a hero. Kairi plus Sora equaled fairy tale in the making.

Hearsay hadn't been this juicy in a long, long time.)

Girls Kairi barely knew hurried to hear.

Kairi grinned at the lot of them, embarrassed. "Yes. We kissed."

Squeals were in plenty. As were questions: _When? Where? What did he say? What did you say? Have you kissed since? Have you shared a Paupou? Was Riku jealous?_

The last question set Kairi's nerves ablaze. "Well," she began, voice hot. She settled a little. "Maybe. Even if Riku was, he's not anymore." Kairi bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should've said anything at all. She wasn't afraid for Nevaeh if these girls decided to declare 'war'. She was afraid Nevaeh would take 'war' seriously. Kairi groped for another question, hoping her answer would play a suitable distraction. "We haven't shared a Paupou. We've kissed several times since. The first time he kissed me, he said that he wanted me to stay behind because he cared about me. Because he loved me-"

There were too many 'awww's for Kairi to finish. But they weren't 'cute' aws. They were depressed and sorry aws. "They haven't shared a Paupou yet! How sad!"

(_A/N: Girls are so superficial_.)

**ooo**

Sora's temper plummeted to absolute zero. From the moment Riku manipulated Nevaeh into sitting on the bleachers because he said he'd reward her with a gift if she behaved, Sora's attitude towards 'home' improved for the better. And what, tell, could instigate such a change? One word: fame.

Sora never thought – not in a million years – that he'd ascend the popularity latter. Even mid-way. But now? Now that everyone knew who he was and what he was? Holy…

During Blitz Ball practice, more boys wanted to ask him about his adventures more so than steal the ball. (Sora enjoyed their curiosity. He could narrate his bouts with the Heartless as nitty-gritty as he wanted with a locker room full of testosterone.) His gym cubbyhole hadn't seen so much attention since he was stuffed inside his first year of highschool. Once a torture-device. Now a hotspot.

And this was _one_ class. Lunch was a whole 'nother story altogether.

Sora's preverbal cherry-on-top: escorting Kairi. The Princess. His Princess. The most beautiful girl on Destiny Islands.

Sora didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't had so many offers to sit down in his entire life. The majority was easy to by-pass. He didn't know his classmates very well. The end-product of poor socializing skills and whacking Riku with a wooden sword. Once upon a time, his obsession with sword-play was frowned upon. And now it was…_popular_?

Sora froze on the spot. He was popular.

Sora smiled a little. For once in his life, he was popular. Well-known. Sought-out. Praised. Respected. It was a good feeling. It was empowering. Sora wound his way through the isles of tables, strutting his stuff, head held high, chest inflated like a balloon. He was proud. He couldn't help it.

Sora waved. Girls meeped at his gesture: "Did you see that? He waved at me, didn't he? Isn't Sora cute?"

_Cute? He was cute? Since when?_

Kairi giggled. Apparently, his face was as dumbfounded as they come. "You didn't believe me when I told you that you were cute, did you?" She pinched his cheek for good measure.

Sora tried to remember. "When was that? You never told me I was cute."

Kairi slid her hand to the back of his head. She buried her fingers into his spiky head of hair, pulled him towards her, and whispered in his ear. "Hey, Sora," was her secret. "Guess what? You're cute."

(_A/N: Aw! So sweet. I'm glad Sora's 'beastly' temper scampered off. I'm sure it'll return in due time. Kukuku..._)

**ooo**

Riku handed over his munny. A younger student accepted the payment with a toothy grin and, in return, thrust two cartons of milk into Riku's hands. "Why don'cha wanna go to lunch?" the little boy asked, wide-eyed with wonder. (But of course. He was talking to Riku. _The_ Riku. Who was, what, three years older than he? Ah, how fortunate to be in the presence of a hero.)

Nevaeh held her nose. "There's _no way_ I'm going anywhere near that cafeteria. It stinks to high Heaven." Nevaeh prided herself on smelling nasty food from miles away. She would not (and could not) leave the Blitz Ball field while lunch was in progress. "I'll _die_."

The little boy trembled at her brashness. "Eeeh…" he whined. "Do you need me to go and get you anything else?"

Riku shook his head.

"Scram," Nevaeh snapped.

The little boy ran away in tears.

Riku sighed. "That wasn't very nice." He handed Nevaeh her milk.

"I'm hungry," Nevaeh explained with a toss of her hair. (On the plus side of things: no braid meant no _whack_ to Riku's face.) She opened her carton with little difficulty, though she'd never seen one before. Riku was happy she didn't frustrate herself with a tab that had the potential to annoy even the most collected of people. Milk would've been everywhere. "Can we leave yet?"

Riku smirked. "If you want to get in trouble."

Nevaeh mused the idea. "Alright." She stood. "Let's go. On your feet."

Riku remained seated. He chastised himself. 'If you want to get in trouble' was _not_ his best argument. Riku set his milk beside him. He reclined where he sat, despite the lack of comfort there was in doing so, and shot Nevaeh a curious look. "What about your present?" His tease was tantalizing. "I think you deserve it."

By the look on Nevaeh's face, she'd forgotten his bride. She retreated to the bleachers immediately, craning over Riku to the point where she almost leaned on top of him. "I do!" was her insist. "I do deserve your present! I sat here-" Nevaeh slammed her fist against the bleachers. A dent the likes of which Riku had never seen _screeeeched_ into being. "-for an hour, wanting to play with you and your team, but denied the please because you're too jealous for your own good."

Riku balked the tiniest of bits. (So she'd noticed?) "Jealous?" he grunted. "Says who?"

Nevaeh's spite dwindled in fury. Her flirtatious mannerisms took the wheel. Or: quirks that hinted she was flirting regardless of the fact that she wasn't flirting at all. It was the heaviness of her eyelids and the turn of her lips. Characteristics that annoyed Riku to no end. "I'm not blind," Nevaeh cooed.

Riku intended to argue a point: so you flaunted on purpose?

Nevaeh's eyes blazed with a raging inferno. "No!" she hissed. "It's not my fault I had to wear this skort!" She shoved herself back beside Riku, openly disgusted with him and his accusation.

Riku 'hn'ed. As he always did. He reached into his pocket. "Here." He handed Ansem's journal to Nevaeh. It startled him how indifferent she acted towards her father's records of 'Dark'. She handled them badly, toting Ansem's book by a single page and tearing it a little in the process. She was trying to ruin Riku's present. Without being obvious. But Nevaeh was always obvious when it came to destroying things…

Nevaeh flipped through Ansem's journal once. Very quickly. "Interesting," she muttered. She tossed the book in Riku's lap when she was finished. "Very interesting." Nevaeh returned to her milk.

Riku frowned. "That's it?" When Nevaeh ignored him, he tapped Ansem's journal with his pointer finger. _Thud, thud, thud._ "That's all you have to say? Interesting?"

Nevaeh shrugged. "What would you have me say, Mr. Riku?" Nevaeh feigned excitement. "Gosh and golly-gee-willikers," she purred in a nasty voice. "Ansem the Wise? Really? He's my daddy?" She pumped her arm. "If that isn't the bee's knees." Her demeanor favored angst, once again, and she downed her carton. "I don't think so."

Riku opened Ansem's journal and turned to a page he thought Nevaeh might find interesting. "Look here. You're mother's name was-"

"Bryte," Nevaeh finished. "I already know. I know everything."

Riku took pause. He sensed a bitterness about Nevaeh. But it was more than bitter. She was hurt. Very badly, it seemed. She must've been if he could tell her attitude from where he sat. Despite the shining sun, despite the warm breeze, and despite the sounds and smells of the day, Nevaeh's unhappiness strangled every ounce of joy there was to be seen, heard, or had. "Heaven…"

"I know. He was trying to protect me. Little did _he_ know." Nevaeh shook her head. She looked at Riku with solemn eyes. Her irises, usually biased to red, were now biased to yellow. And this occurred only—and only—when she was in the process of fighting off tears. Nevaeh hated crying. So she wouldn't. "I have a lot of hatred for my father, sir. I'd rather not speak of him. Or my birth-mother."

Riku held his tongue for a moment. But a moment was all he could spare. "I met your father." He kept Nevaeh's hands in his sights. In case she tried to slap him.

Nevaeh didn't respond. Not outwardly. Not at first. "Really?" She death-glared Riku, trying her best to play apathetic. "How?" Nevaeh crushed her milk carton in her fist. She didn't posses the basic elements (anymore), but it melted in her possession, in any case.

Riku feared for his life. A little. "I knew him as DiZ."

Nevaeh wiped her hand on the bleachers. "Okay."

Riku bowed his head. Now that he thought about it, retelling his dealings with 'DiZ' was actually…amusing. "I didn't know he was the real Ansem." When Nevaeh made a funny noise, Riku explained: "You father had an understudy. When he lost himself to the Dark, his Heartless went around telling everyone his name was Ansem." Riku sighed through his nose. "He tricked me," he added as an afterthought.

Nevaeh blinked. "_Oooh_. Drama." She scooted closer to Riku. She laid her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me more about this Heartless."

Riku wasn't falling for Nevaeh's change-of-subject. No matter how sweet she tried. "You and Ansem are a lot alike."

Nevaeh frowned.

"You both took the right course of action in your own, roundabout way. No matter what it took or who it hurt-"

Nevaeh blew a raspberry. Spit speckled Riku's cheek. "What a complement."

"-You both had your episodes of Darkness. And the both of you took me as I was."

Nevaeh sobered. "Anything else?"

"Well," Riku said, closing the journal for good. "You both share an affinity for belts."

**ooo**

_A/N: You see how much trouble I'm having? (Cries.) Blasted writer's block!_

_Never fear. The way to counter writer's block is to write. If I can't write this, I'll write something else for the time being. Until my muse returns. _

_Here's an excerpt from Wit's End and an excerpt from Simply Irresistible. _

_Thanks for reading! God bless!_

**Wit's End**:

"Did you bite it?"

Sora started. "Bite what?"

Kairi nudged his foot with her foot. You're tongue," she emphasized. "Want me to take a look?" Kairi didn't wait for an answer. She was incredibly stubborn and curious when she wanted to be. And since this was the first conversation they'd had in over an hour sitting here, she was determined to keep it alive. No matter what.

All of this – her resolve, her inquiring – was easy to read. Her eyes radiated such.

Sora shook his head 'no'. He didn't dare speak. Heaven forbid.

Kairi wasn't dissuaded. She grabbed his chin. "Say 'AH'," was her order.

Sora would've reeled off the pier if Kairi hadn't held him steady. He opened his mouth, border-lining reluctant. In truth, he was terrified. Kairi was touching his face. On purpose. With both hands. At the same time. And, God above, they were soft. So. Incredibly. Soft. Not to mention scented.

Was it Kairi who touched him? Or was it an ethereal being?

Sora compromised: Kairi was an angel.

_Of course!_

Sora's tongue lolled out of his mouth. Without any promptings from Kairi.

Her examination was short-lived. She didn't know what she was looking for. "Seems fine. Maybe it's swollen?"

"Wohwen?" Sora crossed his eyes.

Kairi smiled at him. "I probably made that up." Her hands fell.

And so did Sora.

_SPLASH_!

**ooo**

**Simply Irresistible**:

Riku winced a second time. He coughed their separation and bowed his head. So as not to raise concern. Riku smothered his face against Nevaeh's collar, dragging his nose down her neck. Slowly. So very slowly. He reveled in the scent of her skin and the vibrations of her throat when she tried to speak. "Nevaeh," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

Nevaeh hugged Riku's head. She tucked her fingers deep into his matted hair. She didn't address his apology. It was too difficult. Instead, she teased, "Maybe you should throw yourself in prison more often." Her voice strained. "Next time, try a fortress where the company isn't as friendly, if you will. I think it's gone to your head."

Riku wasn't impressed with Nevaeh's assumptions. "I haven't betrayed your trust," he told her in all seriousness.

"I know you haven't. I would've killed you, otherwise."

Riku wasn't a fool. "I know."

_**EDIT: The Afters is on hold. I dunno...the older I get, the harder it is to post chapters. It's not that I'm growing out of all this stuff, it's just...as the years go by, I get busier and busier and busier. There's not as much time for play. How very sad. So, in short, I do not think I will be able to continue this fic. (I don't wanna say for sure. Who knows?) I will, however, finish the little side fic I have going on right now. And I'll probably update SI on occasion. **_

_**I'm sorry to have let you all down. **_

_**God bless...**_


	8. Nevaeh's Emotional Rollercoaster

_Dedicated to my OTL._

_A/N: Hello!_

_It's been a while, yes? I know I said that I probably wouldn't be able to continue TA and blah-blah-blah, but I finally--FINALLY--got a reprieve. _

_I would like to thank a certain anonymous reviewer who reprimanded me for giving up on my story. To him/her, no. I did not let TA sit idle for so long because I was bored with the plot or the characters, but because life is hard. (It almost offends me that you would think the things you typed.) However, thanks to your review, I had enough umph to finish this chapter. I'm not being sarcastic when I say 'thanks'. _

_Enjoy! I hope you guys can forgive me for my absence. But you know what they say about absence! Absence makes the heart grow fonder!_

_**Disclaimer**__: Please don't make me say it…_

**Nevaeh's Emotional Rollercoaster**

Sora tossed his bookbag on his bed. Immediately, he undid his tie, unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, and faced the--in his opinion--useless computer Cid had installed in his bedroom. There weren't any buttons. Any knobs. But the screen was blank.

Sora furrowed his eyebrows. He leaned closer - to the point where his nose touched the very thick, very unnecessary glass protecting the screen itself. "Uh…hello?"

Tron flickered into being.

Sora backpedaled.

Tron stared at Sora, the screen in front of him, and then Sora again. He pointed. "Spot."

Sora used his tie to buff the glass clean. "Tron," he said in earnest. "I'm ready for a mission. What've you got for me? Kairi, Riku, and Nevaeh are getting ready to leave so they'll be here soon." Sora fanned his hands, smiling so broadly his eyes shut tight. "But don't worry about being discreet 'n all. Go ahead and debrief me. Who needs our help? Aladdin? Simba? Peter P-"

"Nobody needs your help."

Sora's smile turned upside-down. His jaw dropped. "Eh?"

Tron blinked at him.

Sora grabbed his hair. _"Wha'd'ya mean nobody needs our help?"_

Tron lectured, his back inhumanly straight, his eyes closed, and his index finger thrust heavenward. "User Sora," Tron droned. "It's been User _hours_ since the Worlds were restored to the proper order of things. Though there are mass accumulations of darkness, they haven't manifested."

Sora felt slighted. Something as powerful as Dark hadn't reared its ugly head in an embodied way yet? Lame. Though, the prospect of 'mass accumulations of darkness' didn't lighten his mood, either. Sora fell backwards on his bed, spread-eagled. He draped his arm over his eyes. "Tron, it's the weekend!"

Tron blinked. Twice. "Yes."

Sora sighed. "I haven't had a weekend off since…"

"Since you were-"

"It's been a while," Sora interrupted. He didn't want Tron to give him the exact year, day, hour, minute, and second he lost his free time. "I dunno--Tron--what do you do to relax?"

Tron thought about it. "Every one-millionth nanosecond, I allot myself 2.5 nanoseconds to delete obsolete files in the system."

Sora looked at Tron, bewildered. "Maybe you aren't the guy to ask."

**ooo**

Riku walked Nevaeh home. He was exhausted. Keeping Heaven from killing innocent bystanders for looking at her--or him--sideways was almost as difficult as dragging her away from the Home Ec. classroom. Despite his insisting, 'Heaven, this isn't my class.' she ignored him, introduced herself to the teacher, and took the middle, front-row seat, dispensing someone in the process.

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose just thinking about it. God, if anyone knew how to give him a headache it was Nevaeh.

Nevaeh stopped walking.

Riku bumped into her.

Nevaeh grabbed his wrist and pulled it down away from his face. "Is Ansem bothering you?" she asked quietly.

Riku bristled. "What?" Had he told her about--no--he didn't think so. Could Nevaeh read his mind? Was he acting out of character? Was he reverting? Was he becoming the part of himself that was evil incarnate? Was it obvious? Was-

Nevaeh patted Riku's head. "Don't lose yourself in thought while I'm speaking to you, Mr. Riku. I asked a question."

Riku waved Nevaeh aside. "Ansem's gone, Heaven." He said it as much to her as he did himself. "Ansem's gone."

**ooo**

Kairi smoothed the creases in her battle skirt. She turned one way, then another, checking the state of her outfit in the full-length mirror that hung on the back of her bedroom door. When she saw that everything was perfectly straight, tidy, and what-not, she smiled at herself and spun around to look at her room.

The white carpet, walls, bed sheets, and feathered canopy. The matching curtains wafting in the breeze. She'd missed it. She really had. Here one day and gone the next, would she ever find the rest and the relaxation she had once taken for granted?

Que cera cera.

The important thing was: she had the strength to leave. She had the strength to come back. She had the strength to be a part of Sora's life outside of the islands. Kairi knew that--even _weeks_ ago--she would have given everything she owned to possess the opportunities she possessed now. So there was no sense in missing what she knew she could live without.

"As the old saying goes," Kairi murmured. "You don't know what you've got until it's gone."

A soft and melodious _beep-beeping_ jerked Kairi from her reverie. She turned to face her new computer and was surprised to see Tron. Kairi flushed. Internally, she wanted to scold him, saying, 'Can't you knock? I was getting dressed!' But she knew better than to confront him over something so 'human'. He wouldn't understand.

"User Kairi, Sora would like to speak with you."

Kairi didn't know what to say other than, "Okay."

Sora's face replaced Tron's. He didn't look happy. "We're not going."

"Oh." Kairi suppressed the joy she felt. No transit? No Keyblades? No stress? No Axel? Kairi concealed her grinning with one hand. She pretended like she was just as put-out as Sora even though that wasn't the case. "I'm sorry."

Sora flinched. "Nah, don't say that." His gaze shifted from Kairi herself to Kairi's clothes. "All dressed up and nowhere to go." Sora's brow furrowed. He was the essence of depressed.

Kairi rapped her knuckles against the glassified computer screen. (Tron whispered, "Fingerprints." His voice was so low, though, Kairi thought she imagined it.) "Let's make the most of the situation, okay?" Kairi transferred her 'concealing' fingers from her lips to her nose, plugging her nostrils closed with her thumb and pointer. "We could go snorkeling."

Sora perked up. "Yeah!"

Kairi laughed. It was exactly like Sora to forget the reasons why it was good to be home because of one, little setback. "Let's go to our island. Ask Riku and Nevaeh if they want to come, too. I'm sure Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie will be there. We'll make a party of it."

Sora's eyes radiated his enlightenment. Kairi could see the cogs turn in his head. She could see him sparing with Riku, building sand castles, and revisiting the Secret Place as he realized just how wonderful life could be when he had nothing to do. No Heartless to maim. No antags to dethrone.

Sora pumped his fists. "I'll meet you in ten minutes!" He turned his back on his computer and yanked his shirt over his head.

The screen clicked off before Kairi could cut the connection. Annoyed, she swiveled the computer screen to where it was facing the wall. "Just in case," she told herself.

**ooo**

Riku opened his front door very quietly. His ears told him that his mother was in the kitchen. He could hear her banging pots, stirring what smelt like heavily-seasoned, boiling broth. She hummed a tune he didn't know. Her feet tip-tapped one way, then another, but they weren't closing in on the front door. Which meant she hadn't heard him arrive.

His father was at work. He was always at work when he came home from school.

Riku gestured to Nevaeh: 'this way'. For once, she obeyed. Nevaeh had never been _inside_ Riku's house before so she was happy to follow his lead, craning her neck as she tailed him from the ornately decorated living room to his own bedroom. It was pretty much a straight shot, but there were enough trinkets to catch Nevaeh's attention en route.

The deck. The bay windows. The wind chimes. The fabrics. The potted plants. The plush rugs. The paintings. The candles.

This didn't look like the kind of place Riku would live.

Nevaeh lingered. Riku grabbed her hand and pulled her though his bedroom door. Nevaeh scrutinized Riku's decor with a different eye. His walls were bare, his comforter was solid gray, and his furniture consisted of one bed, one chest of drawers, one closet, and one wrack of barbells. The computer Cid had left for him was pushed against the wall. Stuck to its front was a piece of paper that read 'Get a desk' in Cid's handwriting.

(Though Riku hadn't been inside his room, he knew where the computer had come from without having to ask questions thanks to Cid's note.)

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "It suits me."

Nevaeh smirked. "Yes. You're right. Now where're my belts?" She folded her arms across her chest. "I left them on the porch. You said that they'd be in here. So where are they?"

Riku opened his closet door. Nevaeh's belts were safe and sound, polished and hanging on a hook stuck in the back of his closet. Riku reached in, grabbed them, and handed the Lulu leathers to Nevaeh, incredibly relieved. "Get dressed," he said. His nerves were much too stretched to say anything else. He didn't want to admit that he would have dipped out if her belts hadn't been there. (For all Riku knew, Hana thought Nevaeh's clothes were trash.)

_Beep-beep_.

Riku stiffened. He looked over his shoulder at the computer. Tron appeared. "User Sora would like to speak with you."

Riku nodded his head.

Sora swapped with Tron in the blink of an eye. He was dressed in his swimming trunks. "Kairi wants all of us to go to the island."

Riku made a face. "What about-"

"No missions."

Riku strode over to his computer and knelt in front of it. "What do you mean 'no missions'?"

Sora shrugged. "I mean _no miss-_" His words clogged in his throat. His eyes widened. His face turned a brilliant shade of red. His shoulders locked up, extra tight. His mouth opened like an O. Sora yelled, _"AHHH!"_ and spun on his heel. "What in the Worlds is she doing?"

Riku was confused. "What?"

He deduced, _Sora had said 'she'_. The only 'she' that Sora could see was Nevaeh, unless he was referring to a 'she' off-screen somewhere in _his_ room. But that wasn't likely.

The moment Riku turned around to check, he regretted it.

At first glance, Riku thought Nevaeh was naked. It was hard to tell, but a band of muslin was stitched around her chest. She was still wearing her skort, thank God. If not, Riku would have internally combusted right then and right there. Nevaeh was standing facing the closet. She notched one of her belts under her arms.

Riku was beside himself with embarrassment. He didn't say anything. Not a word. He merely stood, grabbed Nevaeh by her elbow, and turned her around to face him. His expression was severe. _"What. Are. You. Doing?"_

Nevaeh dropped her belt. It clattered to the floor. "I'm getting dressed. Like you told me."

Riku tilted his head toward the ceiling. _"Not with me still in here."_ He sighed as if to say, 'Why me?' and regarded Nevaeh again. "Just-" Riku swallowed the lump in his throat - the lump that threatened to expose just how mortified he was. Just how irritated he was. "-give me a second. Let me step out. Then get dress-"

_Knock-knock-knock._

Not many noises frightened Riku. The sound of Heartless hissing in the darkness? The sound of Ansem's laughter? No problem. Those merely ticked him off and got his adrenaline pumping. But his mother? Knocking on his bedroom door? Especially in the predicament he suddenly found himself in? It was terrifying. More than terrifying.

"Sugar?" Hana gushed. "I didn't hear you come in."

Riku started. He slapped a hand over Nevaeh's mouth before she could answer. "Wait! I'm--uh--dressing!" Riku struggled with Nevaeh's belts. He notched them at her waist and whispered, "Help me!"

Nevaeh complied, seeming to realize the severity of the circumstances, and belted her chest. She was an expert and so she finished quickly.

Riku ushered Nevaeh to the window beside his bed. "Go out this way," he said quietly. "I'll be out in a second."

Nevaeh disappeared in a blur of white just as Riku's mother stepped into his room. "I thought I heard voices," she accused him. "Is your girlfriend here?"

"No," Riku lied. "Just talking to myself."

**ooo**

Nevaeh sat on Riku's porch. She wondered what she had done wrong. She had followed Riku's instructions, hadn't she? So what was the big deal? It wasn't like she had undressed completely. It wasn't like he was looking, right? Nevaeh didn't comprehend Riku's reaction. She didn't comprehend why she felt guilty, either. Blasted emotions.

"Hard day?"

Nevaeh cut her tawny eyes at the person approaching her from around the side of Riku's house. It was a girl. She held a camera in her hand. "I don't know you," Nevaeh muttered. "Don't be asking about my business like we're friends."

Kijo laughed. "I'm sorry. Let me start over, then." She extended her hand. "Hello. I'm Kijo."

"Hello," Nevaeh replied sweetly. "Now go away before I do something I'll regret."

Kijo curled her fingers against her palm, admitting defeat as far as shaking hands was concerned. "I hope you don't speak to Riku with that tone."

Nevaeh got on her feet. She noted with some dejection that Kijo stood a head taller than she did, the same as Riku. "As far as I'm concerned," Nevaeh hissed. "I can speak to Mr. Riku however I please."

Kijo shrugged. Her glasses reflected the sunlight eerily. "Just thought I'd warn you." Kijo clasped her hands against her chest, closed her painted eyes, and bowed her head. "I know you're not from here so I thought I'd give you a warning."

Nevaeh quirked an eyebrow. "Warning?"

"Yes." Kijo opened her eyes. She pierced Nevaeh with a faux sincerity Nevaeh had yet to see in someone other than herself. "You don't want Riku to abandon you, do you?"

Nevaeh froze. Her chest felt rigid beneath her belts, tight with anxiety. "No…"

Kijo noticed Nevaeh's tick. "Because you've been abandoned before, yes?"

Nevaeh opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the words to say. They had forsaken her. They had retreated down her throat and into her stomach where what felt like a spell of ice was winding its way through her intestines. Nevaeh realized her eyes--her lips--were hot. Her body heat was fleeing the cold, the opposite of her vocabulary. It escaped via her face. Nevaeh's blushing intensified.

Kijo smiled. Gently, she touched Nevaeh's shoulder. "Around here…" Kijo dithered, hamming her performance for the sake of Nevaeh's attention. "…if you don't behave…" Kijo turned her face away from Nevaeh, balling her free hand into a fist as if she were in pain. "I just don't want to see that happen to you. Riku has broken so many hearts. I fear you're the next."

Nevaeh took a breath. "But…he…"

"…said he loved you?"

Nevaeh nodded.

Kijo huffed, acting jaded. "That's what they all say. And when they're done with you, they kick you to the curb."

"Oh." Nevaeh paused for thought, reached for Kijo's glasses, and carefully took them off her face. She looked deeply into Kijo's eyes, searching for the truth. "Thank you." Nevaeh exhaled shakily. Angrily. Nervously. A rare light entered Nevaeh's eyes, then. A lethal spark. "Thank you for warning me."

Nevaeh tucked Kijo's glasses into Kijo's hand. She stroked Kijo's knuckles, drew herself to her fullest height, and slapped Kijo across her face.

Not hard. But hard enough.

Kijo stumbled. She glared at Nevaeh, breathing hate-filled 'you's between her pearly teeth.

"However," Nevaeh purred. "If I _ever_ hear you utter a single word about Mr. Riku again?" She smirked. Nevaeh flashed Kijo one, double-jointed-fingered hand. "I'll rip your memories to shreds. Am I clear?"

Kijo didn't answer.

**ooo**

Something was wrong.

Riku looked at Nevaeh sideways.

When he had emerged from his house, sweating bullets due to the close-call he had suffered--that and his mother made him taste test her Five Alarm broth--Nevaeh didn't tease him, deride him, or even flirt with him. She stood with her feet close together, her back slouched, and her head bowed. She looked diminished.

"_Sora and Kairi want us to go with them to the island. Wanna go?"_

"_If you want me to." _

-tha Worlds?

What was _that_ supposed to mean? 'If you want me to?'

Something was definitely wrong.

"Nevaeh," Riku said, almost annoyed. "I'm not angry at you or anything."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Nevaeh widened the gap between them. It had been steadily increasing the farther they walked toward the beach.

Riku stopped. So did Nevaeh. "I can't make you out," Riku confessed. One second you're happy. Then you're mad. Then you blow up half the classroom. You pointedly flirt with the members of the Blitz Ball team. You nearly cry during lunch. And now you're being stoic."

Nevaeh frowned at him. The wind whipped her unbound hair. "Oh. That's your role, isn't it?" Nevaeh hesitated. "I mean…" She faced him fully and held her hands palm-up. "I'm sorry. That was rude. What I meant to say was-"

Riku summoned his sword. "Who are you?" He flourished his blade. "And what have you done with Nevaeh?"

Nevaeh stared at him, lethargic. "Don't be an…" She pursed her lips. "…so adorable."

Riku lunged.

**ooo**

Kijo gripped her camera tightly in her hands. She stomped down the road, her nose high in the air. "That girl. She'll regret the day she messed with Kijo!"

The more Kijo thought about it, the shorter her stride, the wider her smile. She had the photographs she needed. The truth _would_ be known. Well…_her_ truth would be known…and that was the most important thing.

Kijo kissed the top of her camera. Her lipstick made a bow-shaped smudge of red.

It was only a matter of time.

**ooo**

Axel awoke to a _beep-beep-beep_ that didn't belong to his alarm clock. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but his forehead hit the bottom of the Gummi ship he was 'supposed' to be tuning up.

(The moment Cid discovered what he had done to his baby? Oh, there was the Underworld to pay.)

Axel yawned. He crawled out from beneath the bed of silver Gummies and gazed around the unlit hanger with droopy eyes. "Hullo?" he asked, his voice slurred. "Sum-body there?"

_Beep-beep-beep._

Axel grunted. He pushed himself to his feet. Stretching his arms over his head, he climbed into the Gummi cabin, following the source what woke him from his beauty sleep.

Axel cleaned his teeth with his tongue. His _smack-smack-smacks_ were in sync with the _beep-beep-beeps._ Axel slammed his fist against the radio. _"Whaaaat?"_ he asked.

"Axel?" It was Larzene.

Axel made a point to yawn. Very loudly. "The one and only."

"We have a situation."

Axel grinned in spite of himself. "Really?" He popped his knuckles and his neck, 'loo-de-doo'ing his glee. "'Bout time. I was starting to get bored."

"Weren't we all?"

Axel hopped behind the wheel. "Vacation's over, kiddies." He hit the gas.

**ooo**

Nevaeh's daggers flew high into the air, spinning all the way up…and all the way down. Then they embedded themselves into the sand, not but three feet from where she lay.

Nevaeh hated to lose a match, but she hated to lose a person even more. Especially if that person was Riku. So, though she loathed letting him win, she did. Nevaeh--obediently, even--fell for every trap, fumbled every combo, and purposefully tripped over her feet.

If she thought about losing positively, Nevaeh learned that, one: skorts were useful when it came to concealing and/or withdrawing daggers. Two: The outfit she had assembled by accident--her belts and her skort--did not match and/or work well together. Three: fighting with Riku made traveling from point A to point B very, very fast. They beat Sora and Kairi to the beach, if that was any indication.

Nevaeh forced herself to appreciate the experience. She smiled.

Riku did not. He stood over her, shaking his head. "Are you sick?" he asked.

"No."

Even her answer annoyed him. "Stop acting weird."

Nevaeh shrugged. "I've been remembering how to feel," he half-lied. "It's only natural."

"Hn."

Riku didn't believe her. He sat down beside Neaveh, waiting for the others two to show. Nevaeh braced herself with her arms, thinking amidst the silence. What she hated worse than losing a match was feeling ill in the heart. Nevaeh was bothered she couldn't discard what Kijo had said, but it haunted her mind. Every second she had room to think, there it was. Like a monster. The exact opposite of her cowardly words beforehand.

Neaveh shivered. _Go away, go away, go away!_ she thought…

…to no avail.

Desperate, Nevaeh grabbed Riku's shirt and pulled him toward her. She needed a distraction. She didn't want Kijo's deceit to take root in her emotionally-vulnerable mind. "Fight me!" she begged him. "Fight me again! I'll try harder this ti-"

Nevaeh suffocated on what she wanted to say. Unexpectedly, she realized _just_ how handsome Riku looked in the light of the afternoon sun. The golden contours of his skin. The blue backlight. The intensity of his eyes.

It was her own fault. She was the one who had pulled him so close. Nevaeh was upset that she had doomed herself. She was upset that she had let her emotions go haywire. And yet she was ecstatic with the sensation she received leaning a hairsbreadth from Riku's mouth. Like electricity.

Riku stared.

"I think I _am_ sick," Nevaeh whispered. "I think I'm unraveling at the seams." She touched Riku's cheek, caressing the golden coloring. Goosebumps scurried along her arms when she felt the peachy texture of his skin. Nevaeh followed the line of his jaw to his lips.

Riku parted them, saying, "Heaven?"

Nevaeh used her other hand to touch the back of Riku's neck - the coarser strands of his hair. She pulled her hand down his throat and to his chest. Trickling, feather-light fingertips. She tortured him just as much as she tortured herself. "My heart is pounding," Nevaeh breathed. "…so hard." She drew circles around Riku's mouth, across his philtrum. She caressed his bottom lip as if it were made of crystal.

Riku grabbed Nevaeh's hand. He pulled her fingers down his chin, petering off one by one, and kissed her lips.

Nevaeh let Riku kiss her however he pleased. She didn't struggle to overpower him, but complimented his kisses, giving as he advanced, going limp in his arms. "Is this what you…" She wavered in case Riku desired to interrupt her. He didn't. "…what you want?"

Riku noticeably bristled. "What?" He sounded angry.

"You won't throw me away, will you? If I behave?"

Riku dropped Nevaeh. She fell to the sand. _"What are you talking about?"_ he almost shouted. _"Throw you away? Where did you hear something like that?" _

Nevaeh shrugged, nonchalant. "Nowhere," she piqued.

Riku drug a heavy hand down his face. "Figures."

**ooo**

_A/N: This is the last, do-nothing chapter. Next time: World Number One._

_I don't know how long it'll be before I update, but it won't be six months again._

(Some of you may be wondering where Simply Irresistible and Wit's End are. Um...I accidentally deleted Wit's End instead of SI. Oops. So I'll re-post it. WE, not SI.)

_Thanks for reading! God bless! _


	9. Girl Talk

Dedicated to my Rose.

_A/N: HELLO! Long time no type, eh? (Bows head repeatedly.) Please forgive me! So, so sorry! I promise, from now on, I will type a page a day even if it kills me. Lately, my life has been rough with a capital R. I appreciate all the PMs and well-wishes you guys have given me. You've lifted my spirits like you can't imagine! Everything is starting to smooth out--I can finally breathe again! It's magnificent! _

_In addition to this chapter, there's a one-shot AU thingy fluff-bonanza whatchamacallit. Enjoy. And Happy (early) Valentines day!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Yawn._

**Girl Talk**

Sora sprawled out on the beach. He laced his fingers behind his head and heaved a contented sigh. "Relax, Riku," he said, closing his eyes. "That's the perk of a vacation, you know."

Riku sat beside Sora, not as tranquil as his comrade. Despite the lure of his favorite island and despite the hilarity of watching Kairi teach Nevaeh how to build a sandcastle that actually looked like a sandcastle, Riku wasn't feeling it. He frowned.

Sora crossed his legs at his ankles. "Jeeze, Riku, you're not supposed to brood. At least smile."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Nevaeh's put me in a bad mood."

Sora snorted. "She's _always_ putting you in a bad mood."

Riku paused for thought. He watched Nevaeh stick a seashell on the top of a mound of sand, which was supposed to look something similar to Kairi's. And it didn't. Nevaeh was happy with her accomplishment, anyway, pointing out where she would place alligators, drawbridges, and dungeons.

"It's just--" Riku started. His attention was diverted from his conversation to the sky, where a shimmering light descended from the clouds. Judging by the way the falling star zigged and zagged one way, and then another, Riku knew what and who it was immediately. "Axel."

Sora opened one of his eyes. "Axel?"

Riku pointed.

A large, silver Gummi dropped like a ton of bricks, skimmed the ocean--a freight train doomed to derail--and demolished the beach while Axel put the 'FLAMER' (as was stenciled on the side in bold red) into park. Pneumatics hissed. The door/ramp lowered in a flash, breaking upon the sandy shore like a spring-loaded mousetrap. It flattened Nevaeh's sandcastle with a _WHAP_.

Riku made a face. "I'm _not_ riding in that."

Sora succumbed to the giggles.

Nevaeh screamed, "MURDER!"

Kairi stared.

Axel strode into the daylight, as cocky and flamboyant as ever. "Hop to, chop-chop, we've got a World to save."

"I'm not riding in that," Riku repeated himself.

Axel didn't understand. He appraised his Gummi with a lively eye. "Why not? She's a beaut!"

"Flamer?" Riku sneered.

Sora giggled harder.

"Well..." Axel made a fist. A ball of fire engulfed his fingers. "I am what I am, right?"

Sora rolled in his laughter.

Nevaeh tackled Axel off the ramp. She withdrew her daggers and held them like a pair of scissors across Axel's throat. "Flamer or not, you have destroyed my dungeon, oaf! Now I destroy you to compensate, yes?"

"No." Axel opened a portal to the Realm of Darkness, sank into its wispy depths, and closed said portal before Nevaeh could follow him inside. He opened another vertical portal from behind Nevaeh's back in a span of one second. "A human life and a castle made of sand are not relative, you know." Axel dusted off his cloak.

Nevaeh glared at him from over her shoulder. "Says you."

Kairi raised her hand. "Axel, we can't leave now."

Axel cocked his eyebrows. He used Nevaeh as a prop, arm stiffened. "Why not, Princess?"

"We have to tell our parents where we're going, don't we?"

Axel waved his free hand, indifferent. "That's what computers are for. I promise. You'll be back before dinner, okay?"

Nevaeh slapped the inside of Axel's elbow. He lost his balance and fell, face first, into the sand.

Sora was beside himself.

**ooo**

Kairi sought out Nevaeh once they were aboard the Gummi. (She refused to refer to the ship as The Flamer.) It wasn't hard to sneak away from Sora or Riku. Once the boys were informed that the World in jeopardy was primarily 'animal', they started working on a plan of action. Who was turning into what. Who was going where. Etcetera, etcetera.

Whatever made them feel better.

Kairi found Nevaeh where the boy's dorm used to be. Since Donald and Goofy weren't present, Sora and Riku would take their room if needed. Since Axel had promised them that they would be home by supper, it wasn't likely. Unless someone was hurt.

Kairi chose to keep her mind off the possibilities. She rapped her knuckles on the door. "Nevaeh? May I come in?"

"Yes you may."

Kairi stepped inside. The room was filled with non-perishable provisions. Nevaeh was taking stock. She scribbled shorthand on a piece of paper via pen and clipboard. Undoubtedly, Cid had made adjustments and therefore pampered Nevaeh with superfluous luxuries to keep her happy...for a while...

(_A/N: Haha, Nevaeh knows shorthand_.)

"I don't see spice," Nevaeh complained.

Kairi smiled. "Nevaeh," she said. "I've noticed you and Riku aren't as in sync as usual."

Nevaeh leered.

"I mean," Kairi reiterated, "you don't seem like yourself. Wanna talk about it?"

"Girl talk?"

Kairi nodded her head.

Surprisingly, Nevaeh dropped her clipboard, grabbed Kairi's hand, and coaxed her to sit on the top of some crates stacked beside the wall. "I'm feeling things I've never felt before. I think I'm catching a cold." Nevaeh tightened her hands into fists. "Blasted immune system."

"Nevaeh," Kairi sighed, rolling her eyes. "You aren't sick."

"I'm not?"

"No."

"Then..." Nevaeh's eyes exploded with cupidity. She wanted to know. More than anything. "What's wrong with me?"

Kairi adjusted her posture. It looked as if she said, 'The doctor is in' without speaking the words. She wasn't aware, but she fancied herself a professional when it came to relationships, the same as Sora. (Not a professional-professional, but when compared to Riku and Nevaeh's problems, she and Sora were almost healthy. Almost.) (_A/N: That's because I haven't even started torturing them yet. Mwah ha!!!_) "Your problem is you're holding back."

"Holding back?" Nevaeh's fists tightened. They sounded like taut leather.

Kairi refused to be intimidated. She was used to Nevaeh's theatrics. "First you say you can't remember how to feel. Then you say you're learning. But when we first met you, you told us that Tarsus can't affect emotions--" (Nevaeh tried to interrupt, but Kairi wouldn't allow it.) "--so I think the problem is not whether you can _remember_ how to feel, but _letting_ yourself feel. I think, all this time, you've known how, but you've been too afraid to admit to them."

Nevaeh paused for thought. "Perceptive, Princess."

Kairi grinned a Sora-grin.

"That's not my problem right now, though. I'm worried..." Nevaeh frowned. She looked vulnerable. "...has Riku confessed feelings for other women?"

Kairi subdued her laughter. To Nevaeh, this was a sensitive topic. "Yes."

Nevaeh paled.

"He was about six. Seven?" Kairi gazed off into space. "Now that I think about it, I wonder if she was real. He might've made her up to irritate Sora. Something about a girl washing up on shore."

Nevaeh blushed. "No matter," she whispered. "That was the only time?"

(_A/N: If you remember, that was Nevaeh who washed up on shore_.)

"As far as I know."

Nevaeh leapt to her feet. A surge of emotion and strength radiated from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. Her belts clinked together. Her skort wafted. Her braid flailed like a lasso. Her eyes were live wires, sparking and toxic with revenge. _"I shall wring her neck!" _

Kairi was afraid to ask, "Whose neck?"

Nevaeh's demeanor changed. Her anger dissipated, a lovely smile graced her face, and she stroked Kairi's cheek lovingly. "Thank you, Miss Kairi," she purred as catty as she knew how. "We should invest in girl talk more often." Nevaeh skipped from the room, happy, happy, happy.

Kairi wondered what she had said to make Nevaeh so...lethal...like normal. Still, she was delighted she could help.

**ooo**

The moment The Flamer made touchdown, Riku and Sora had a fit, respectively.

Sora's shoulders hunched. His back arched like an angry cat. His eyes flickered yellow.

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. He mumbled words under his breath. He didn't sound like himself.

Nevaeh and Kairi stared. Their eyes met, confessing their suspicions to one another and nodding their heads, silently agreeing to keep their concerns to themselves. For now. It seemed to them that if they made a point to draw the boy's attention to the fact that they were relapsing, it would only make it worse.

This was especially hard for Nevaeh, but she had a newfound respect for Kairi's perceptions. She wanted to emulate the Princess.

"There's definitely Dark here," Riku muttered. "I can feel it."

Sora bristled. "Yeah. I feel it, too."

Simultaneously, Riku and Sora looked in the same direction. "That way," they said together.

Axel blew a raspberry. "Who are you two? Flotsam and Jetsam? Are you going to start finishing each others' sentences?" He pressed a button on the dash as he laughed. A familiar screen descended from the ceiling. It flickered and beeped. Donald appeared to Nevaeh and Kairi, who were the only two paying attention. (Riku and Sora were busy death-glaring the direction from which they sensed the Dark. Axel was busy giggling at his own joke that nobody else thought was funny.)

Donald folded his arms across his chest. "What do you want?" He was notably bitter.

"C'mon, Donald." Axel sighed. "I already told you. Takeoff was a last-minute thing. I didn't have time to come get you and Goofy."

Donald snubbed him.

"Thing is," Axel pressed. "We need your magic."

"You should have thought about that before you left me behind." Although Donald meant what he said, he flourished his wand at the screen. The magic filtered through--somehow...but it was magic so the rules of the material word did not apply--and slithered around Nevaeh, Kairi, and Sora. Riku stepped out of the way.

Sora's skin sprouted a fine layer of fur. It was oddly dark. Not at all the color of his hair. His fingers curled against his palms and hardened into hooves. His legs and his arms elongated. Antlers sprouted out of the top of his head. They punctured the ceiling of the Gummi. His eyes flickered yellow.

Donald blinked. He whacked the end of his wand. "Is this thing on?" he asked.

"Oh! Sora!" Kairi squealed. "You're so cute!"

Sora turned his head to look at Kairi, wrenching Gummi blocks. Like nails on a chalkboard. "You are, too." He grinned his infamous grin.

Kairi didn't understand. (Because she hadn't looked at herself, yet.)

"BUNNY PRINCESS!" Axel slapped his knee. "How appropriate!"

Kairi wagged her fluffy, red tail. "Rabbits aren't red!

"Deer aren't black," Sora added.

"Skunks aren't white," Nevaeh piqued. And there she was. A solid white skunk with orange eyes. "Mr. Riku!" Nevaeh stood on her hind legs--contrapposto--and then fell to her stomach. (Riku picked her up from under her front legs/paws/arms/whatever.) "Why aren't you an animal?"

He answered plainly, "There are men in the forest. Sora and I are going to confront them while you and Kairi warn the other animals." He nodded away from the danger. (Away from the fun and excitement, in Nevaeh's opinion.)

Nevaeh tried to claw his face. Her little paws fanned the air, completely non-threatening.

Riku smirked. "Aren't you cute?"

"One more word, Mr. Riku! Don't you dare try my patience!"

Riku suddenly embraced her. Nevaeh's tail stood up straight. "Good to have you back." He refused to let her go immediately. He was bigger. Stronger. He had thumbs. This--potentially--was his only opportunity to antagonize Nevaeh's abating point without suffering horrendous consequences. Riku's smirking was absolutely evil. "I was starting to wonder if you would ever threaten my life again--" Riku gagged.

Nevaeh fluttered her eyelashes. "You squeezed me too hard." She flicked her tail.

Riku stretched out his arms, dropped her, and marched out the door.

Nevaeh scampered after him, chattering like a skunk. "COWARD!" Chatter, chatter, chatter.

Axel wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Ah, young love." He swiveled around in his chair, switching his attention from Riku and Nevaeh to Sora and Kairi.

Sora bowed his head. Kairi stood on her hind legs so her front paws could rest on the tip of Sora's nose. "Be safe," she said. "I'm really starting to worry about..." She tapered off. Her blue, bunny eyes surveyed Sora's fur. She stroked the side of his snout like the color would wear off.

Sora nuzzled Kairi's cheek. "So my hair's getting darker. No big deal." His ears twitched. "Unless you don't like dark hair. I can find a way to change it."

Kairi shook her head. "Oh, Sora." She pressed her nose against his. "Lets go save Riku from Nevaeh, okay?"

Sora agreed. "What did you say to her, anyway? She had Riku pretty worried." He bobbed his head from side to side. "You know. For Riku."

"Girl talk." Kairi wrinkled her nose. "I hope Cid packed tomato juice. Riku might need a bath."

And out they walked.

Axel deflated. All of a sudden, he felt lonely, but he made no attempt to search for his little, black book.

**ooo**

_A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry it was so short. I'll keep my promise and type a page a day. Or, at least, something a day. That way, it won't take a year to update twice. O_O_

_Since it's Valentines (or close enough) I have a special treat for my readers and reviewers! Yay! Technically, I wrote it for Riku and Nevaeh, but it's not exactly...normal. Think of it as a 'real life' depiction of them. Or whatever. It's fluff. Deal. :3_

_Those of you who visit my dA will recognize the following one-shot. I like recycling. :D_

Riku was nervous. More than run-of-the-mill nervous, he was pee-his-pants nervous. The circumstances what made his stomach knot thwarted his insides--here, there, and everywhere--cold first, then hot. Falling like rain, rising like larks.

Riku thought he was going to throw up.

How many times had he walked with Nevaeh, talked with Nevaeh? What he was doing wasn't foreign. It wasn't like he sucked at idle chit-chat as far as Nevaeh was concerned. It wasn't like he didn't know what to expect from her.

Still, a new element had presented itself to the equation. And--yes--it had been there before. A tiny, insignificant 'one' lost in a matrix of zeros. But, lately, it seemed to Riku that the one had multiplied. And multiplied. And multiplied.

Things were suddenly complicated. Riku couldn't look at Nevaeh and see a morbidly twisted, sadistically sweet, little girl. That was only a slice, now. More adjectives poppity-popped like a tide of bubbles. No sooner did Riku think 'ambiguous', he thought 'tragic', 'beautiful', and 'mine'.

The last two made Riku's face blister, despite the cold.

Strange part was, he had perceived these terms...these feelings...deep down. Only recently had they reached the surface. Riku wasn't sure what to do or what to say. He was blindsided by his emotions, he knew, but the problem wasn't the manifestation of love. It was the stupidity. His was a one-sided affair. If Nevaeh felt anything, she was either an excellent actor or the things she felt for Riku were platonic.

"Riku?"

Riku jerked out of his reverie. He noticed that he was climbing the stairs of Nevaeh's complex. The lights beside the doors on the second floor hummed steadfastly, just like they always did. And Nevaeh ascended to the top, just like she always did. Riku hadn't meant to follow her. Already, he was stuck half-way, poised, one foot forward.

Nevaeh pressed her lips together. "I knew you were seeing me home, but I didn't think you'd _see me home_."

Riku looked from Nevaeh to the bottom of the stairs. He knew--deep down--that it would be in his best interests to turn around, blame his mistake on exhaustion, and scurry home without another word. 'His best interests' wasn't what he was interested in, though. He didn't know what, exactly, he wanted, but it had _nothing_ to do with maintaining his sanity.

Riku continued up the stairs. "Call me old fashioned," he sighed.

Nevaeh stared. "Whatever floats your boat." She grabbed his hand when he caught up with her. "Who knew you were chivalrous?"

Riku jerked away. "I'm not."

"Okay, Mr. Denial." Nevaeh fished her set of keys from the inside of her coat pocket and strode toward 24 B, three doors to the right of the stairwell.

Riku trailed after her. He wanted to kick himself.

Nevaeh jammed her apartment key into the lock of her door. She gave Riku a look he couldn't decipher. "Silly," she giggled. Nevaeh touched Riku's forehead--leaving her keys to dangle--much to his conflicted surprise. "Stop brooding, will you? Your brow's too creased for someone your age."

Riku un-furrowed his eyebrows. Nevaeh rubbed his premature wrinkles like she could erase them permanently. Riku's eyes fell closed. Again, he wanted to kick himself, but more than that he wanted to preserve the sensation he felt. The tips of Nevaeh's fingers were like branding irons. They burnt...

...in a good way.

Riku huffed. Since when had he become such a sap?

Nevaeh laid her hand flat against his forehead. "I think you have a fever."

"Oh."

Nevaeh trickled her fingers down the slope of his nose. "You've got dirt on your face."

Riku swallowed the lump in his throat. He hated the way Nevaeh tortured him so flippantly. "I know."

Nevaeh held Riku's cheek in the palm of her hand. She cleaned the splotches of grease from under Riku's eye. "You know, soap and water _do_ exist. It's not a myth."

"Ah. Witty."

"I'm modest, too."

Riku smirked. He opened his eyes, more or less intoxicated.

Nevaeh tilted her head. She concluded, "You've been working too hard, I think. You look like death."

"I feel like death." Riku wasn't lying. He was driving himself crazy. Heck, he was jeopardizing his good reason with every second that dwindled...and dwindled...God, how they dwindled! Riku thought, _I need to end this madness_. But what he wanted and what he needed were two, completely different things. He wanted to breech the distance he both respected and abhorred. He wanted to kiss the lips of Nevaeh Alexander. To taste them. If only once.

His need convinced him otherwise. Whatever Nevaeh desired for him to be, he would be. It seemed to Riku that Nevaeh wanted nothing more than a confidant--a human being disciplined enough to see through the façade she paraded day in and day out, accepting her and who she was without a comment, question, or judgment.

And...

Riku was certain Nevaeh's mouth possessed a gravity of its own. He found himself entranced. Stooping. His hand lifted of its own accord. The edge of his pointer finger brushed the underside of Nevaeh's chin, tilting her neck--up and up--slender and sumptuous in its curvature.

The division separating Riku's wants and his needs blurred. His senses heightened. He could hear Nevaeh's breath escape her lips. He could feel the peachy texture of her skin as he let fall his hand, trickling the length of her throat with the backs of his knuckles. He could see the colors Nevaeh absorbed and reflected. Pink, yellow, blue.

He reminded himself to breathe.

Riku touched Nevaeh's collar. Slowly, he brushed her braid behind her nape, his hand ascending, and traced Nevaeh's jawline. Subtly. Falteringly. His fingertips aroused the downy surface of her skin like a breeze rather than a solid.

Nevaeh was struck immobile. "What are you doing?"

"I'm..." Riku froze. He had crossed the line. In fact, if he were to spin on his heel and retreat, 'the line' would be _nowhere_ in sight. There was no going back. He was too far-gone. "I'm leaving."

Riku did as he said. He left. Quickly.

"Riku!" Nevaeh snapped.

He descended three steps. Only three.

Why? Why did Nevaeh have the audacity to call his name? Was she really so spiteful? Was she bound and determined to kill him stone dead?

Nevaeh stood on the stair behind him. "You forgot something."

Riku turned around. "What did I forget?"

Nevaeh grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulled him forward, and kissed him on the lips with such recklessness, Riku wasn't sure if he had been kissed of sucker-punched. "_That_," Nevaeh shrilled. "You forgot _that_. The epitome of romantic good-byes. I can't believe you would leave it up to someone like me to initiate."

"What?"

"_You're_ the man." Nevaeh poked him in the chest. "_You're_ supposed to be the one to kiss _me_. Not the other way around. Don't you know anything?"

Riku made a face. Not only had Nevaeh succeeded in fulfilling his deepest fantasy, but she had also insulted him to the point where he didn't care diddly-squat about swapping saliva with the object of his affection. Instead, he wanted to rebuke her...start an argument...

Something. Anything.

Riku closed his eyes, counted to ten, and said, "You're a bad kisser."

Silence.

Riku opened his eyes. Mildly satisfied, he saw that Nevaeh's jaw had come unhitched. (Her lips' gravitational pull wasn't as strong as before, he noted.) "W-Well," she stuttered. "At least I'm not a scardy-cat too afraid to kiss the only girl he'll ever get."

Riku glowered. He hammered the railing with his fist. "At least I'm not a superficial flirt unconcerned with the feelings of others."

"Flirt?" Nevaeh shot back. "Is that the best you've got?"

"I am censoring myself." Riku's glare was unsurpassed.

Nevaeh glared back. "_You_," she hissed. "You are so, incredibly thick!" Her face flushed in her bewilderment. The rosiest Riku had ever seen. Her nose, her eyes, her ears, and her lips were uniform in color. The amount of oxygen Nevaeh pulled through her nose should have made her braid rigid. "Can't you see?" She stamped her feet. Once. Twice. Three times. "I'm in love with you!"

Riku's heart fainted.

Nevaeh held her head in her hands. "And see? I've broken tradition! Again! That makes twice! What else do you want me to do, Riku? Bend on one knee and ask for your hand in marriage?"

Riku's chest hurt. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought his legs had vanished. He couldn't feel them anymore. Everything below his waist was numb. The only reason he could feel his arms was because he gripped the rails too tight. The only reason he could feel his chest was because his heart was having a panic attack.

How was it possible? How was it possible for him to have the capacity to love Nevaeh Alexander to such an extent? How was it possible for his body to have the strength to withstand the amount of passion and _com_passion he harvested for one, little girl?

"If that's what it takes," Nevaeh continued, brisk with her words. "Then please."

"Please?"

Nevaeh flung her arms around Riku's neck. She lost her cool as quickly as she lost her temper. "Please. Please, will you? Will you take me?"

Riku would rather throw himself off the second story than to ever hear the desperation what soaked Nevaeh's voice through and through.

"I love you," Nevaeh whispered. "I don't care that you're a coward. I don't care if you can't say it. Because I can. I'll say it enough for the both of us." Her grip tightened. "I love you. I. Love. You."

Riku couldn't move. His throat was clogged. His senses were coiled taut and overloaded.

"I love you," Nevaeh repeated herself. "You're kind and gentle, in spite of what you want everyone to think. And..." She twisted her fingers deep into Riku's hair. Her nails combed his scalp. "Even though I'm not what I make myself out to be, you're still...I never thought that someone could ever..." Nevaeh trembled.

Riku turned his face toward her.

Their foreheads touched. Their noses met, side by side.

Riku reveled in the warmth. "Three for three?" he asked.

Nevaeh grinned sheepishly. "What should I have you do now that I've taken your responsibilities?"

Riku parted his lips. He felt Nevaeh quiver in anticipation. He made a funny 'uh' noise in the pit of his throat. The hairs on Riku's arms stood on end.

Nevaeh laughed, breathless. Riku accompanied. It was their way of acknowledging the nonsensicalness of the entire situation. Couldn't they contain themselves?

No. They couldn't.

_This_, Riku thought was funny. Especially since he and Nevaeh regarded themselves as masters of deception. There was one thing they couldn't curb, snuff, or ignore. Not anymore. They had, but wouldn't again. It was just too taxing on their bodies. Now that they were experiencing what it felt like to open the floodgates of their emotions, there was no chance what-so-ever that they would dam them after tonight.

Riku would make sure of that.

He kissed Nevaeh's cheek--slowly, repeatedly. He slipped his lips toward her ear, leaning in. "I've loved you for a long time. That has to count for something." Riku stepped down. He turned to leave.

Nevaeh wavered. "Are--" She didn't finish her sentence.

The corner of Riku's mouth twitched. "I'll see you tomorrow." He walked to the bottom of the stairs.

Nevaeh was right on his heels. "Aren't you going to kiss me?" she demanded to know.

Riku glanced at her over his shoulder. (Nevaeh pointed at her lips.) "I thought that was your responsibility."

"Don't be cute. It doesn't suit you."

Riku grunted. He grabbed Nevaeh's face in his hands and captured her lips in an instant. He held her still, knowing full-well Nevaeh's abating point was fast. (Abnormally fast.) He kissed her and he kissed her and he kissed her, thirsty for equability the moment he tasted Nevaeh's sultry breath.

Riku lingered longer than was necessary, but Nevaeh was addicting. The way she gasped at him. The way she tried to regain her composure with little success. The way she gave as he advanced. The way she kissed the air even as he retreated.

Riku couldn't help but chuckle.

Nevaeh started. "You think you're sexy, don't you?" She rolled her eyes. "The next time you ambush me like that, I'll kick you in your tenders."

Riku didn't doubt she would.

Nevaeh waved her departure. "See you tomorrow." (She said this like they hadn't confessed their undying love.)

"Tomorrow."

_NUU!_

_Leave a review and I'll get back to you!_

_God bless!_


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